Take Care
by Resiliency
Summary: AU, All human. Bella's looking for a summer job and the Cullens are looking for a live-in nanny for the 2 youngest Cullen kids. But Bella finds more than just a decent paycheck at her new job. She finds a best friend, new opportunities, and... true love?
1. Goodbyes

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Boo.**

**Summary: AU, All human. Bella's looking for a summer job and the Cullens are looking for a live-in nanny for the two youngest Cullen kids. But Bella finds more than just a decent paycheck at her new job. She finds a best friend, new opportunities, and... True love? (Usual Pairings)**

**AN: Heyy. I thought I might try my hand at writing fan-fiction. This is my first story, but I've been reading for a while now. There are some great writers out there and I'm nowhere as good as them, I'll admit, but it couldn't hurt to give it a try. I realize this chapter was a little short, but this is just something I'm doing on a whim to see if I'm any good at this at all. If this is successful, the chapters will definitely get longer. And yes, this **_**is **_**an EdwardxBella Fan Fiction. **

**Here it is:**

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**Goodbyes**

I looked around the campus of my college. Tons of students were bustling around preparing for the upcoming summer vacation. I heard two people in my class who happened to be walking by, talking to each other about going on a month-long cruise to the Caribbean. If only my life were that easy. It seemed like I never had time to relax nowadays…

"Bella!" I heard Angela, my best friend and my roommate, call to me.

I turned around and waited for her, watching her run up to me. "Hey, Angela, what's up?" I said when she caught up.

"Hey Bella, I just realized that I never got the chance to ask you what you were going to do during the summer break. I feel like a terrible friend. We haven't had a lot of time to talk lately. I guess I was too caught up in other stuff. I'm so sorry," Angela said.

"Don't worry about it. I've been pretty busy myself," I replied, smiling at her reassuringly. "You've been an awesome roommate, all things included."

She smiled back at me gratefully. "So what are your plans?"

"Actually… You know how I'm always talking about getting a job? Well, I've been trying to get one! I could use the money. I feel awful for using my parent's savings to pay for my tuition and not being about to chip in," I admitted. "What about you? Have you decided where you're vacationing with Ben?"

"We can't seem to decide where. After all, we have a budget to follow," she murmured.

"Anyway, do you have any ideas on where you want to work or what you want to do?" she asked hastily, trying to get the attention away from her.

"Um, well I did see this ad online for a job that seemed rather promising. The pay was great and the job seemed easy enough… I'm planning on calling them later today to see if the job is still available."

"Oh, what's the job?" Angela asked with genuine interest. That's one thing I loved about her. She was always so honest and open.

I took out the advertisement with all the information pertaining to the job, which I had printed out earlier that morning and put in the back pocket of my jeans. "It's a job as a live-in nanny for the two youngest kids of the Cullen's… It's all the way in New York. That's pretty far, huh? Their estate is by the beach, though, so I can imagine the view would be nice…" I mused. "Do you think I should do it?"

"Sure, I don't see why not! It seems like a great opportunity and it might be—"

"Hey Ang. Bella," Ben, Angela's boyfriend, greeted us cheerily. They had been together for almost a year now. It didn't take me long to realize that the conversation wasn't going to be centering on my summer job for long so I put the ad back into my pocket.

"Ben!" Angela hugged him in greeting and he hugged her back.

I smiled involuntarily. They were _too_ cute together! There was quite a height difference, though. It never seemed to bother them and I don't think height makes a big difference in a relationship. They were still absolutely perfect for each other regardless. I couldn't help but be jealous sometimes… They were so certain they were the '_ones' _for each other. I had never come close to finding anyone like that.

Angela and Ben had made an effort to set me up with Ben's roommate, Tyler, before but it didn't go so well. I had managed to trip over the leg of my chair and I took the entire tablecloth down with me along with our rather expensive dinner. I'll admit I _did_ have a clumsy streak.

"So Angela, are you all packed up?" Ben asked.

"Um, pretty much. I just need to pack up a few more things… They're up in my room still."

"Well, we leave in two hours so we better go up to your room and finish packing your luggage."

That's when I noticed Ben was carrying his entire luggage with him. Was it time for students to leave already? Where had the day gone?

"Oh, alright," Angela concluded before she turned to me. "Oh, Bella! I'm going to miss you so much!"

I laughed, trying to lighten the mood as I saw her begin to tear up. "Angela! Don't worry! It's only one summer. In fact—who knows—I might even come back early if I get fired soon enough!"

She smiled at my attempt to cheer her up. "You're right. It's just one summer. But I'm still going to miss you! Promise you'll call and keep in touch?"

"Absolutely!"

"Okay, take care of yourself! Good luck at your soon-to-be new job!"

With one last fleeting smile, she walked hand-in-hand with Ben towards our dormitory. I waved to their backs half-heartedly.

I probably should have gone up to my dorm too, to finish packing up all of my belongings, but I had a feeling that Angela and Ben might want to be alone with each other. They had never said anything of the sort, but I had always felt like a third wheel around them. I'd mentioned it once, but they just tried to convince me I was being ridiculous.

I walked around campus for a while, not having anything better to do. I was walking to go grab a bite to eat when I saw Tyler walking up to me. There wasn't necessarily anything wrong with him; he was a great guy, but I just wasn't interested and he couldn't seem to grasp that. I had been avoiding him ever since that disastrous double-date.

"Bella!" Tyler called. I picked up my pace a little in what I hoped was an inconspicuous attempt to get away from him. I guess I should have run, though, because before long I felt a tap on my shoulder that I couldn't ignore without being rude. I turned around to face him.

"Hey, Bella, didn't you hear me calling you?"

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention…" I muttered. I was never a great liar, but he didn't seem to notice. Either that or he didn't care.

"Anyway, are you interested in hanging out this summer?" Tyler continued with a hopeful voice.

"Sorry, but I'm applying for a summer job so I'll be pretty busy this summer," I said. I watched as his face fell, but before he could reply I quickly dismissed myself and scurried up to my dorm.

I bumped into Angela and Ben leaving the room when I got up there. They informed me that they were going to leave a little earlier than originally scheduled. We said our final goodbyes.

"I'm really going to miss both of you!" I said with a sad smile.

"We're going to miss you too, Bella! We'll keep in touch. Tell me how the job goes!" Angela replied.

"Okay. Bye, guys! Have fun."

They both waved to me as they started walking away. Once they were out of sight, I walked into the room. I took this time alone to finish packing up.

I looked around after I finished and was surprised at how bare and empty this place looked without Angela and all of our stuff. The room had always been a little drab during my stay here, but I would probably miss this little dorm room over the summer nonetheless.

Suddenly, I remembered the job that I was supposed to be applying for. I realized I couldn't put it off any longer and so, I took out my outdated cell phone and the ad in my back pocket. I sat on the stripped bed that used to be Angela's and dialed the number given on the advertisement.

I sat there with my heart beating madly as I listened to the phone ring repeatedly. I was surprised as how nervous I was. This interview was going to determine the rest of my life. Okay, fine. The rest of my _summer._

With that none-too-comforting thought in mind, someone picked up.

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**Please review! It would mean the world to me. And fear not, Edward will make his appearance soon enough.(:**


	2. Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything. I don't think that's changing anytime soon. Boo.**

**AN: Heyy. I got my first reviews not too long ago and they made me feel so great, so I thought I might sit down and write again. I'm starting to feel the pressure of being a writer. I don't want to disappoint anybody and I want to meet everybody's expectations for this story. I'm still having fun writing it, though! I really, really hope you enjoy it! Please feel free to leave a review! It doesn't even have to be a long one (although those are appreciated). Here goes nothing:**

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_I sat there with my heart beating madly as I listened to the phone ring repeatedly. I was surprised as how nervous I was. This interview was going to determine the rest of my life. Okay, fine. The rest of my _summer.

_With that none-too-comforting thought in mind, someone picked up._

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**Beginnings**

The Next Day

I couldn't stop fidgeting with my hands in my lap as I sat on the plane to New York. From the airport, I would have to take a taxi to the manor. Over the phone, Mrs. Cullen had told me that my job would consist mostly of babysitting. I would also have to complete a little bit of housework here and there, though.

The interview wasn't very long. She just asked a few practical things like 'do you have any experience with children?' and the usual. It wasn't very hard for me to get the job. Mrs. Cullen had asked me to fly in the next day where I would spend a day being shown around and becoming acquainted with the children and the other people around the manor. Then, I would start my job, immediately after I was settled in.

"Flight 376 will be landing in New York in 10 minutes. Please stay seated until the plane comes to a complete stop," I heard the flight attendant say overhead.

At this point, my leg was bouncing up and down rapidly. The person next to me seemed to be getting annoyed, but I couldn't stop. Every once and a while, he would sigh in exasperation.

The fidgeting was helping me handle my nerves, though. I really needed this job and I was about to meet my boss for the first time. I couldn't help but feel nervous. I'd done a little bit of babysitting as a high school student, but I'd never actually taken on a full time job like this before. I wasn't sure at all what to expect.

--

I stepped out of the terminal with my entire luggage in hand, tripping slightly amongst the crowd. I had been informed yesterday by Mrs. Cullen that there would be a driver waiting for me. I went down an escalator and soon enough, I reached the exit of the airport. I looked around, but I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for. I did immediately recognize my driver, though, because he was holding a sign that read 'Isabella Swan' in big, bold letters. He was standing by the information desk, looking expectant. He was dressed in a black suit with a dark cap on his head. He looked pretty formal for a taxi driver.

I approached him cautiously. He reacted immediately when he saw me walking toward him. "Miss Swan?" he questioned.

"This is she," I replied, but it came out as more of a question.

"Ah, your vehicle is parked outside. I hope you had a nice flight. If you'll please follow me," he said formally, taking my luggage from my hand and leading the way outside.

However, he didn't proceed to put my luggage into the back of a taxi. Instead, he led me to a sleek, black limousine and opened the door for me. I paused, looking at him doubtfully. He just stared back for a second patiently before motioning once again for me to enter. I slid in awkwardly. He hurriedly put my luggage away and walked around the limousine to the driver's seat. He put the car in drive, already knowing where he was supposed to go, and started driving toward our destination.

Soon enough, we were driving alongside the ocean. I looked serenely out the window at the beach, filled with people. I got lost in the scenery for a second or two and then suddenly we were driving past huge mansions with iron wrought gates and fountains in front of them. It felt as though it took a whole five minutes to drive past a single house.

We stopped at one of the biggest manors and the gate in front of it opened. I looked around in awe. I was being _paid_ to stay here? It seemed too good to be true. The driver parked the limo and came around to open my door, but I already opened it and was stepping out, looking around with my mouth hanging open and probably gawking like an idiot.

To my deep embarrassment, there were two people standing in front of the front door, watching me with amusement written on their faces. I blushed as the taller one began to approach me. She had a gentle smile on her motherly face. Her hair was a sweet caramel color and her body was very slender. She was gorgeous.

"Isabella! It's so nice to meet you! I'm Esme Cullen," at my dumbfounded expression she added, "I spoke on the phone with you yesterday."

She seemed a lot friendlier and welcoming than she did on the phone and she looked way too young to be a mother! I quickly snapped out of it and smiled back timidly.

"Hello, Mrs. Cullen. It's nice to meet you too. And I prefer Bella," I murmured.

"Oh. Bella, please call me Esme," she said with a bright smile.

She took my hand and led me up the front steps toward the door where a short, young girl was standing—well, more like bouncing. She was literally hopping up and down in excitement, her spiky, black hair bouncing up and down with her. She was beaming at me. She was also very pretty. They were both so impeccable. It was rather daunting.

When I was right in front of her I noticed how much shorter than me she was, but she was still very tall for a ten year old.

"Hi, you must be Rosalie," I said with a small smile.

To my surprise she just laughed at me. Wow, I only say five words to her and she already thinks I'm a loser. Nice going, Bella.

"Actually, I'm Alice. I'm the other nanny here," she said when she stopped laughing.

"Oh," I said stupidly. I wondered for a second if I had offended her by mistaking her for a ten year old, but she didn't seem to be too hurt. Maybe she got that a lot…

She giggled and then started rambling. "Isabella, I know we're going to be the best of friends! I'm sure you'll love it here. It's like paradise. Seriously, I could not ask for a better job. The kids are so adorable, I'm sure you'll love them! It's just the two of us looking after the kids for now, but the job is still open so, who knows, we might get more help sometime during the summer."

"Oh, I can't wait, but please call me Bella," I said shyly.

She took my hand and started leading me inside saying, "Oh, I'm sorry. Bella, then. Here, I'll show you our bedroom. We're going to be roommates! Have you ever had one before? Oh, silly me, you probably have since you're most likely in college. I haven't had a roommate before, so I'm so excited!"

She led me up a flight of stairs and stopped in front of one of the doors. She opened the door and moved aside so I could go in. "Ta-da!" she said happily.

My eyes widened. The room was perfect! "Oh my goodness! I love it!" The words tumbled out of my mouth.

There was a bunk bed on one side of the room and a single bed across from it. The window was huge and had a perfect view of the beach. There was a brown leather couch by the window and a small reading lamp on the square, coffee table next to it. There was also a dresser, wardrobe, and a door that was opened slightly and led to another closet. There was a full-length mirror in one of the corners. There was another door off to the side. It was closed, but my best guess would say it held a bathroom. The walls were painted a soft pink hue and there were a few posters of good-looking guys hanging along the wall.

She laughed giddily. "I'm so glad you like it! Now, I've always slept on the top bunk," she said gesturing toward the bunk bed and then added somewhat reluctantly with a small pout, "but if you really want it… I guess you could sleep up there and I'll just sleep below you…"

I smiled at her offer, but I would never take that bed away from her. "No it's okay. I'll just take the bed under it."

"Really? Are you absolutely sure?" she asked trying to sound neutral, but I saw the relief in her eyes.

"Of course! Besides, with my luck I'd probably just manage to fall over the side in the middle of the night."

She laughed whole-heartedly and then said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She continued, "Okay, so anyway, my job for today is to show you around! First of all, the two younger kids' names are Rosalie Hale and Emmett Cullen, but you probably already know that. Rosalie's nine and Emmett's ten. The two older kids – we're not responsible for them, but it's still helpful to know them – are named Jasper Hale and Edward Cullen. They're both twenty years old, so they're about the same age as we are." She paused to take her first breath before starting her explanation.

"Wow, Esme looks so young. You'd never be able to guess she's had four children…" I mused out loud.

"Well, actually, she's only had two children. It's true that she doesn't look her age, though. Anyway, Jasper and Rosalie's birth father was named Charles Hale. Edward and Emmett's birth mother was named Elizabeth Masen. Carlisle and Elizabeth divorced a few years after Emmett was born while Esme's former marriage took a turn for the worst – but she doesn't like to talk about that. Carlisle and Esme met under strange circumstances a year after they both became single and ended up falling in love. They married when Rosalie was five and Emmett was six. That makes them step-siblings. Isn't that so sweet? Now they're a big happy family!" Alice gushed.

I smiled. "Wow, it sounds like something out of a fairytale. How long have you been working for the Cullens anyway? You seem to know a lot."

She seemed thoughtful for a second. "Well, when I got accepted to the college of my dreams, I got permission to put off school for a year or two so I could get a job first and earn the money for college on my own. My parents wanted me to be able to make money by myself and this job seemed fun, so I decided to take it. I started working here a month after I graduated from high school, so I've been here for almost a year now. While everybody my age was in their first year of college, I've been working here. Are you going to your second year of college this following year?"

"Um, yeah," I replied.

"Oh, so you're only going to be here for the summer?" She asked, her usual bubbly, cheerful expression was replaced by disappointment.

"Oh, um… It depends on how this job goes. I mean, who knows? Maybe I'll put off school for a year too," I amended, not wanting to disappoint her.

She squealed and bounced up to hug me. I was a bit shocked at the sudden gesture. She let go before I could react and then grabbed my hand and proceeded to lead me down the hallway.

"Okay, so the room across the hall from ours is the room that Rosalie and Emmett share. They have a very friendly relationship for two step-siblings. The room two down from that is Jasper's room and the room all the way down the hall, the last door over there, is Edward's," she explained patiently, gesturing to every door she mentioned.

I couldn't seem to look away from the last door she pointed out. The room that belonged to this 'Edward.' Alice's voice snapped me out of it, however.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I just realized you must be starved! Nobody likes airplane food. Let's go to the kitchen and grab a bite to eat! How about it?"

"Sounds great," I replied.

I followed her back down the flight of stairs, looking around at all the furniture and décor. Along the walls there was a range of rather expensive-looking paintings. All the while, I tried to take note of certain landmarks so I would be able to get back to our room without help in the future.

We took another turn and we were in the kitchen. This kitchen wasn't exactly like your ordinary kitchen. They had their own personal chef and his crew working on an assortment of different food. The chef was kind of pudgy, but I suppose that's what you get for working in a kitchen all day.

At that moment, the chef, who was just working with the stove, turned and saw us. He started addressing Alice in his heavy French accent. "Alice! It's good to see you. Listen, Edward requested I whip up a snack for him about a half hour ago, but I have to continue preparing dinner and I don't have anybody who can go upstairs to deliver it. Do you think you could –"

"Alice!" I heard a kid wail. Suddenly, a cute boy with dimples and curly, brown hair barreled into the room, charging at her. "Alice! Rosalie's pitching a fit and Mommy can't seem to get her to stop! We need you! Now, now, now!"

"I'm sorry, Chef Lorenzo, but I need to help Esme with the kids right now. Here, ask Bella to do it!" Alice said while Emmett tugged on her hand. She gestured toward me before running off with the little boy who I assumed was Emmett leading the way.

I just stood there awkwardly for a second. Before long, the chef continued where he left off with Alice. "Okay, do you think you could bring this platter up to Edward's room?" He paused and then added, "You _do_ know where his room is right?" He looked at me critically.

Eager to please, I said, "Of course! I can bring it to him straight away!"

He smiled at me, relief evident in his face and tone as he said, "Oh thank goodness. Here's the platter. Be very careful not to drop it."

I nodded and took the silver tray from him with both of my hands, praying that I wouldn't drop it and make a fool of myself even before I left the kitchen. After all, first impressions are very important. If I was going to be working with these people for a whole summer—and possibly longer—I wanted them to like me and trust me.

I walked up the stairs as carefully as possibly. I tried to retrace my steps. I stared at my two left feet the entire time, watching for any sudden lumps in the carpet or any cracks in the floorboard. I turned right, towards the familiar hallway when suddenly I felt something crash into me.

I fell onto my behind as the lid on the tray clattered to the floor and the tray slipped out of my weak grip and was propelled forward. The whole dish splattered over the person who crashed into me. _Oh my goodness. He's the most gorgeous boy I've ever seen in my life!_, I thought unconsciously. _Snap out of it Bella! Now is _not_ the time to be ogling some guy._

I had to admit, though, even with food splattered all over his chest he was stunning. His messy hair was a striking bronze color.

"What the hell?!" I hear him snarl in a deep, enchanting voice.

He looked up at me, irately. Even though he was glaring at me furiously, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful his sparkling, emerald eyes were.

… Well, In this case, they were sparkling with fury – but let's not ruin the moment…

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**Hm… an unbelievably gorgeous boy with 'striking bronze' hair and 'sparkling, emerald' eyes? I think we all know what that means!**

**Anyhow, I hope I wasn't too off-mark while writing Alice and Esme! I'm working on their personalities so if they're a little off at the moment, just know that I'm working on them. Also, I forgot to mention this, but some of the characters might be a little OOC, but I'm trying to stick with their original personalities as much as possible. Bear with me! **

**I was really nervous while posting this. I'm hoping for a better response as the story goes on, but that's up to my readers! **

**Anyway, thank you so much – once again – for those who reviewed! It encouraged me to continue writing. Please, please review and tell me what you thought! Reaching 25 reviews for this chapter would absolutely make my day! Suggestions are **_**always**_** welcome. I love hearing from all of you! (:**


	3. Complications

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**AN: Heyy everyone! Thank you all for the support! Please, please leave a review telling me whether you liked it or not. I welcome constructive criticism! Anyway, I truly hope you enjoy this chapter. Once again, please bear with any mistakes you may encounter. **

**Questions: I got a question about why there are two nannies. Well, since Emmett and Rosalie can be a handful and this is a full-time job, it would be really tiring for one person. After one nanny after another quit of exhaustion, they decided to hire them by the pairs (There's a back story to it that I might be posting sometime in the future). The Cullens have more than enough money to hire more than one nanny, so they did.**

**Another question I received was whether or not the characters are going to be OOC. The answer is yes. Some of the characters will be OOC. For example, two characters that are going to be OOC for sure are Edward (well, at least in the beginning) and Rosalie. Just a heads-up.**

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_He looked up at me, irately. Even though he was glaring at me furiously, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful his sparkling, emerald eyes were. _

… _Well, In this case, they were sparkling with fury__—__but let's not ruin the moment…_

* * *

**Complications**

Deciding that this was as good an opportunity as any, I started apologizing profusely while fretfully picking the large chunks of dessert off his shirt. He silently averted his attention from me to the huge chocolate stain on his rather expensive looking shirt. He looked back up and continued to glare at me. I stared at the stain, frantically trying to get it to come off, but ending up just smearing it and making it worse—if that was even possible. Judging by the heat of my face, I was probably blushing copiously.

"I am _so_ sorry," I said for the hundredth time. I mentally reprimanded myself for being such an idiot and screwing up so badly on my first day. I felt tears spring into my eyes. I probably looked like an idiot, crying over this, but when I get angry my tear ducts tend to take action. In this case, I was angry at myself. _How could I be so stupid?_

A tear slipped and rolled down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice. After a moment, he let out a resigned sigh. He closed his eyes and lifted his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation.

When he opened his eyes, he lowered his hand and put his hand over mine, which was still trying fruitlessly to clean his shirt, to still it. I felt a jolt of electricity shoot up my hand. I looked up at him hesitantly, wondering if he felt it too. If he did, he didn't let any sign of it show on his face. I looked back down, blushing even harder than before.

He used his free hand to run it through his messy, perfect hair. "Who are you anyway?" he asked after a pause.

"I'm the new nanny," I said without looking up.

"Really now?" he questioned, intrigued.

He seemed thoughtful for a moment. Then, he looked back at me. I didn't miss that he gave me a quick once-over, which made me quite self-conscious. Then he gave me a breathtaking, crooked grin.

"Well, since you work for my family now… Go back to the kitchen and remake the snack you ruined. I'll be in my room burning the shirt that you _ruined_," he said with that same lop-sided smile in place. Only this time, there was an evil glint in his eye.

He got up and started heading down the hall, but I stood up and grabbed his elbow. He turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"_Excuse me_, but I'm the nanny here for Rosalie Hale and Emmett Cullen. _Not your personal maid,"_ I replied angrily.

He just threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, I'm _so_ sorry. How about this? I'll go downstairs and find Esme and tell her that you broke the priceless, antique vase in the hall. Would that make you happy?"

"But I never—"

He reached behind him and picked up a blue vase with intricate designs painted over it. He proceeded to throw it up and catch it as it came back down with one hand. He never broke eye contact with me, that evil smirk still in place.

"You are _unbelievable_," I said, glaring at him.

"No, I'm Edward Cullen. And Edward Cullen doesn't have patience for incompetent idiots who don't know how to walk straight." As if I wasn't upset enough.

"Yeah? Well, _I'm_ Bella Swan. And Bella Swan doesn't listen to _rude, spoiled jerks who think they're too good to walk down the stairs themselves and get their own food!" _I retorted without thinking, my voice rising with every word. I was fuming at this point, my hands clenched at my side. My nails were digging into my palms as I tried _very _hard not to punch my employer's son.

He looked taken aback for a second. He recovered quickly and reasoned, "How about this. You go downstairs and do what I asked and in return, I'll forget this _whole_ situation ever happened." He nudged the empty tray with his foot for emphasis.

I stared at him incredulously for a second before rolling my eyes and saying, "Fine."

He smirked victoriously, and then turned on his heel and walked back to his room. I watched him until he set the vase down and then I turned around as well and started to walk away. I had just gotten to the foot of the stairs when he called out to me.

"Oh yeah, one more thing."

I turned around and responded, annoyance dripping from my tone, "What?"

"Don't fall down the stairs," he said, mocking me.

I had to clench my teeth in order to stop myself from saying something that I would regret later—while I looked for a new job. I stormed down the stairs. When I reached the bottom, my childish side got the better of me and I turned around and stuck my tongue out at his retreating figure, despite the fact that he couldn't see it.

At this point, I was pretty certain where the kitchen was. I walked in and was greeted immediately by the chef. "Ah, Bella, there you are! How did it go?"

I hesitated before saying, "Well… the food certainly got to him." I realized that my statement didn't make much sense, but it was all I could say without lying.

The chef stared at me suspiciously. "So was he pleased with my creation?" he asked as he turned his attention back to his food.

"Uh, he didn't say much about the food, but he wants you to make him another batch, so I'm guessing that's a good sign." Technically that wasn't a lie…

Thankfully, he didn't push for more information. "Let me finish up dinner and then I'll prepare it. Come back in about twenty minutes," he said without looking up or stopping what he was doing.

"Sure. No problem."

I, then, left the kitchen, even though I had no idea where I was going. I walked around aimlessly for a while. I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going since I was too busy admiring the furnishing. I couldn't help but wonder who put the whole thing together. Every single piece of furniture seemed to be placed in a certain arrangement and there was a different color scheme for each room.

Once I started wondering if I was lost, Alice walked through the large entrance in front of me. "Bella!" she said cheerfully. "Great news! I managed to calm Rosalie down—well, to an extent, at least. She's chasing Emmett around the house, now, but what else is new."

I laughed, instantly forgetting my problems. Well, for a moment.

"Anyway, did you enjoy meeting Edward?"

Her question immediately wiped the smile off my face, which she didn't miss. "I take it Edward wasn't so pleasant?" she said in a questioning tone.

"That's the understatement of the year! He's the most malicious, impolite person I have _ever_ met!" I fumed.

She laughed lightheartedly as if it were no big deal. "I'm pretty sure he gets that a lot. Whatever he said, don't take it personally."

"He called me an incompetent idiot who can't walk straight. How can I not take that personally?" I said, resisting the urge to cross my arms and pout like a child.

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, is there a reason he said that?" she pressed.

"Well…" I began, uncertainly. "I might have bumped into him and dumped the entire tray of dessert over his shirt." I saw the shocked expression on her face and hastily added, "But I apologized like a thousand times!"

For a second she didn't seem to know how to respond. She bit her lip for a second. No doubt she was going to tell me I screwed up big time and that I might as well pick up my bags and leave. _Good thing I never unpacked_, I thought bitterly.

To my surprise, she started laughing hysterically. She had to put both of her tiny hands on her knees for support. Otherwise, she probably would've fallen backwards. "I. Would've. Loved. To see. The look. On his. Face," she gasped through her laughter.

Her laughter was contagious and I found myself laughing about the situation too, though there was nothing funny about it in my opinion. Before long, we were hanging onto each other for support, laughing uncontrollably. I hadn't laughed like this in what seemed like forever. By the time we stopped laughing, both of our faces were flushed. I still wasn't sure why I had laughed so hard. I guess it was just because it's so easy to have fun with Alice.

"As I was saying," she continued when she caught her breath, "it could've been a lot worse. I mean, at least he didn't say, 'Get out of my face, ugly bitch. If you ever make the mistake of entering my room again, you'll be sorry.'"

I gasped. "He said that to you?!" Alice was _far _from an ugly bitch! How could he?

She giggled. "No, but he did say that to Jessica, the former nanny, who got fired a little while ago."

"Oh. But still, how could he say something that cruel? What could she have possibly done to deserve to be told that?"

"Well… Honestly, I kind of think she _did_ deserve it. She was always blowing off her job and taking ever chance she found to flirt with Edward or at least drool over him from afar. When Esme finally told her she was fired, she actually tried to steal Rosalie's favorite diamond necklace and earring set on the way out! Boy, did Rosalie give her an earful after that stunt…"

I wasn't sure if I was more appalled at this so-called Jessica for having the audacity to do what she did or more amazed that a ten-year-old owned a diamond jewelry set.

"Wow," I mumbled, dumbfounded. Then I added, "Why would she even _bother _flirting with him anyway?"

Alice looked quite taken aback at my words for some odd reason. "So… Are you saying that it's no use trying to start a relationship with any of the Cullens because they're always going to be too good for us anyway?" she asked, glumly.

I scrutinized her expression suspiciously. She refused to meet my eye, though. She just continued pouting. I wasn't sure what she was getting at, but I answered her honestly anyway. "Well, that's not exactly what I meant. I meant, 'why would she bother flirting with someone so spiteful like _Edward Cullen_?'" I couldn't help but sneer his name.

"Oh," she said, visibly brightening. "Well, actually, I can kind of see where her attraction was coming from. He's not too bad looking, he's wealthy, he has many talents, he's smart, and—believe it or not—he can be a pretty cool guy" she babbled nonchalantly, counting off her reasons with her fingers.

"I'll believe it when I see it," I muttered, rolling my eyes at her.

She just ignored me, meeting my incredulous gaze evenly and stating defiantly, "In fact… you two would make the cutest couple ever!"

My mouth dropped open in shock. Then I let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "As if! Come on, Alice. Haven't I made my point clear yet? He's the biggest jerk I've ever met!"

She looked amused. "You'll come to your senses soon enough. In fact, I predict you two will be together by the end of summer! And, trust me, I'm seldom wrong about these things," she said, winking at me.

I didn't believe her, but I was more than ready to let the subject drop anyway. Apparently she wasn't, though.

"C'mon, Bella. Are you seriously saying that if he asked you out, you would say no?" she asked, but her face betrayed that she was sure I would say yes to him.

Something was up with her. I started to put two and two together. She seemed hurt when she thought I said that we weren't good enough for the Cullens and she seemed convinced that Edward was practically perfect. The only off-part was that she mentioned that Edward and I would make a good couple…

"Alice, do _you_ like Edward?" I was honestly curious, but if it happened to change the subject, that would be a plus. I couldn't help but feel a little… upset that Alice might like Edward, although I'd never admit that to anybody else.

She seemed appalled at my assumption. "_Puh_-lease, Bella. I think of Edward as a brother," she said, waving the thought off. "Besides, I'm already into someone else," she added, feigning indifference. I saw right through her, though. She was all but glowing inside.

"Oh my goodness! Who?" I gushed.

"Bella," she complained, "stop trying to change the subject!"

I opened my mouth to speak, but then I suddenly realized something. "Oh no… Alice, what time is it?" I asked frantically.

She pulled out her cell phone and glanced at the screen. "A quarter after five. Why do you ask?"

"Ugh, I was supposed to be in the kitchen almost ten minutes ago. I have to bring a whole new platter of dessert up to Edward's room," I groaned and then added sheepishly, "Do you think you can show me the way back?"

"Sure, no problem!"

She led the way back skillfully, not hesitating for even a second on which direction to go or which doorway to pick. Soon enough, we were standing at the doorway of the kitchen, watching the chef and his crew flutter around the kitchen, purposefully. Nobody even seemed to realize we entered.

Alice cleared her throat meaningfully. The chef turned around quickly and motioned toward a tray sitting on the edge of the marble counter. Then, without another word, he turned around again and continued working. I doubt he even noticed I was late.

Alice skipped up to the platter and lifted the lid to peek inside. The dessert looked exactly like the one from earlier. "Mm… it looks good. I bet it looked better all over Edward's shirt, though," Alice snickered.

That certainly caught the chef's attention. He turned around and stared at her. "What was that?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," I mumbled hastily, "C'mon, let's go Alice."

I quickly grabbed hold of the dish with both hands and hurried out the door before the chef could question us further. Alice was close on my trail, trying to control her laughter rather unsuccessfully. At least she didn't tease me about it, though. For that, I was grateful.

When we got all the way down the hall and were standing in front of Edward's room, we both paused simultaneously.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" she asked thoughtfully, without a hint of mockery in her tone.

I smiled at her in thanks and said, "No, it's alright. I'll be fine on my own."

"Okay, I'll just wait for you then. Meet me in our room?"

"Sure," I replied.

She skipped down the hall. When she reached our bedroom, she turned to me and gave me an encouraging smile, gesturing for me to go in, before disappearing into our room.

I knocked on Edward's door twice before letting myself in, taking a deep breath. Said breath immediately caught in my throat, however, because Edward was sitting at his desk with his back to me, shirtless. He spun his chair around to face me, so I quickly gained my composure. I tried not to let my gaze travel downwards, at his subtly muscled, bare chest. I must have slipped up, though, because he chuckled.

He didn't say anything, so I just proceeded to walk up to him. When I was right in front of him, holding the tray at waist-level, I stopped. He appraised me for a second before lifting his hand to take the lid off the tray. He set the lid down, seeming pleased.

"Well, here you go," I grumbled. He opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. "—and no, I'm _not_ going to feed it to you."

He snickered. "Relax. I was just going to say it looks perfect."

"Oh," I muttered, surprised by his sincerity. _Maybe he isn't such a bad guy after all_, I thought hopefully.

He put both of his hands under the plate, as if to take it from me, but suddenly, he shoved the whole tray forward so it was propelled into my chest. My mouth dropped open in shock.

"Oops," he said, smiling angelically. _I guess I spoke too soon._

This was going to be one _long_ summer.

* * *

**Well, as you can see, it's not a major cliffhanger, but I hope you feel the desire to read the next chapter nonetheless. The next chapter will probably be posted in around two or three days—no promises, though.**

**I'm sorry this chapter took a little longer to write than I thought it would. I was originally going to have Edward forgive Bella right away, but then in the middle of it, I thought, 'But what fun would that be?' So I started from scratch. **

**Anyhow, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have **_**any**_** questions or comments feel free to tell me! Or, if you just want to tell me you loved it (although I suppose that might count as a comment), I would **_**absolutely **_**love to hear that! I'm really hoping to get to 50 reviews (Yes, call me greedy, but I can dream, can't I?) for this chapter. **

**So, please, **_**please**_** review because hearing from all of you is all it takes to make my day! (: **


	4. Retaliation

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**AN: Hello everyone! This has nothing to do with the story, but the most terrifying thing happened while I was at home alone, writing my story on Tuesday, July 29, 2008. There was actually a 5.8 magnitude earthquake right outside of East Los Angeles—in case you haven't heard already. I don't live very far from there so I definitely felt the earthquake (and heard it). Thank goodness everybody was okay and I hadn't heard of any deaths. Finally, I sat back down to continue writing. **

**Okay, that said… Thank you so, so much to everybody who has reviewed! I was a little doubtful about actually getting 50 reviews for that last chapter, but you guys went above and beyond! That really meant a lot to me, so thanks again. I'm so touched that I'm tempted to list a thank you to every reader individually, but this Author's Note is too long as it, so just know that I'm very, very grateful to each and every one of you.**

**On with the story: **

* * *

_He put both of his hands under the plate, as if to take it from me, but suddenly, he shoved the whole tray forward so it was propelled into my chest. My mouth dropped open in shock. _

"_Oops," he said, smiling angelically. _I guess I spoke too soon.

_This was going to be one_ long_ summer._

* * *

**Retaliation**

He removed his hands from the tray and it clattered to the floor by my feet. For a second, I wasn't sure how to react. I just stood there with my mouth open, not fully believing that he actually just threw his dessert all over me. He stared back at me unashamed, smirking triumphantly.

After getting over the shock, I started to feel completely furious towards him. I looked down at my shirt which was covered in fudge. The fudge was now starting to drip onto the lower half of my shirt. I grit my teeth together in anger.

I suppose I wasn't thinking clearly since I was so angry. Without a second thought, I whipped my shirt off, leaving me in just my bra, and chucked the chocolate-covered ruination at his face. I saw shock cross his face before my shirt covered his astonished expression.

Then, I spun on my heel and marched out of the room. Without looking back, I slammed his bedroom door. By the time I was halfway down the hall, however, my bravado was starting to wear off.

I stood in the doorway of the bedroom Alice and I share. Alice took one look at the mortified expression on my face and my shirtless state and her eyes widened so much, I thought they might fall out of their sockets.

"Wow, Bella, you guys sure made up fast," she teased me, clearly enjoying this.

"Haha, very funny, Alice. For your information, I only took off my shirt because Edward dumped his food all over it. And other than that,_ nothing_ happened," I said, icily.

Her teasing expression turned apologetic, knowing she said something wrong. "Oh, Bella. I'm so sorry. It's just that I heard a clatter and then suddenly I couldn't hear any talking and it was so quiet and then you came in with your shirt off and I just—I shouldn't have assumed—"

_Wow, I can't believe she thought… _"Forget it, Alice. I just want to pretend like it never happened," I said, interrupting her.

She relented for a second. Then, she got this mischievous glint in her eyes. "_Or_…"

I narrowed my eyes at her in suspicion.

"Bella, are you sure you want to pretend like it never happened? Because _I _think we should get him back and I just happen to have a few tricks up my sleeve." She wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively.

"Well," I hesitated. "Didn't _he_ do what he just did to get back at _me_? Therefore, it wouldn't be fair to get back at him because he was just getting back at me." I reasoned, barely knowing what I was saying myself.

"Come on, Bella. It's _totally _fair because he didn't have a right to get back at you in the first place! When you bumped into him, it was obviously an accident and, like you said, you apologized, like, a million times! This, however," she said gesturing to my shirtless state, "was completely on purpose."

"Well, you do have a point there… but I actually want to _keep_ my job. And I don't think that plotting against the son of my boss with my co-worker is going to help me get through this summer."

"Oh, _please_, Bella. Edward _lives_ for this stuff, okay? Besides, I'd never let him fire you!"

I wavered. "But, Alice, if I do something wrong, and then he gets me back for it, and then I retaliate… Wouldn't it end up like some kind of… war?"

"Ah, so you see the beauty of it."

"Alice!" I scolded. "The last thing I want is to be part of a war that I can't win."

"But that's where you're wrong. You _will _win because you have me on your side! It's two against one. How could you _not_ win? Besides, we have a secret weapon," she said impishly.

I grimaced. I wasn't so sure I wanted to even know what our 'secret weapon' was. I started shrugging a new shirt on while she continued trying to convince me.

"Bella, don't tell me your scared of getting hurt or something stupid like that! I can't even imagine Edward actually doing something to hurt you and I would never let that happen."

I sighed, already knowing she'd won _this_ battle. "Promise?"

She rolled her eyes at me and said with absolute confidence, "Promise!"

"Alright, I'm in," I relented.

Alice squealed, "Yay! Okay, I know exactly what to do! Let's put phase one in action! C'mon, follow me."

She dragged me over to the door. She poked her head around the door frame, and glanced toward Edward's room. I just watched from beside her. She turned back to me.

"Alright, so his bedroom door is open, so I guess he must've opened it after you closed it. We'll have to walk down the hallway until we're out of his line of sight. After that, I'll walk back over there and into his room to talk to him while you wait until you hear me close the door. Then, you can sneak over there and press your ear to the door and listen in, but you can't let him see you. That would just make him suspicious. Basically, we need to find a night where he's going to be out of his room for at least a good two hours or so. We might not actually need that much time, but better safe than sorry."

She said all this without hesitation. It made me wonder if she'd had this plan for years and was always dying to use it, but then I realized that with a mind as devious as hers, she could probably come up with everything on the spot anyway.

"Anyhow, I'll explain more of the plan as we go along. You got all that, right?"

I nodded in assent.

"Great! Commencing phase one!"

I had a feeling she was going to go way overboard with this. She already looked too eager for my liking. When she grabbed my hand and starting pulling me out of the room, I knew it was too late to back out.

As we were walking down the hall, I was so tempted to look back towards Edward's room, even if it was just for a tiny second. Suddenly, Alice started laughing. I looked over at her, questioningly. She just motioned for me to join in. I started laughing along with her. My laughter sounded sort of off though, even to me. When we reached the end of the hall and made our turn, we both stopped abruptly.

"Okay, remember, Bella. Don't walk over there until you hear the door close," she whispered. I nodded.

"Alright, wish me luck!" she said before she started walking casually back down the hallway.

I watched her until she got out of sight. Then, I pressed my back against the wall until I distinctly heard a door closing. Then, I tiptoed down the hallway. _Now would be a really horrible time to trip_, I couldn't help thinking. _Then again, there _is_ no good time to trip._

Fortunately, I managed to get to his bedroom door without incident. I pressed my ear to the door, leaning my weight on it. I could faintly hear Alice's voice through the door. By the time I got there, however, they were in the middle of a conversation.

"—wondering if you were going to be home tomorrow night."

"Why do ask, Alice?" I just barely heard Edward say, suspicion clear in his voice.

"Because I've been planning to take a night off and I'd really appreciate it if you could cover for me. You've always been so great with Emmett and I'm pretty sure you and Rosalie haven't been able to have any quality time together," Alice replied smoothly.

I couldn't hear exactly what Edward replied, but it sounded something like, "Why can't the other nanny watch them? Isn't that why we got another nanny anyway?"

'_The other nanny?' I do have a _name, I thought irritably.

"Well, you see, I'm planning to take Bella _with _me. You know, show her around and stuff." I softly heard Alice say. By the proximity of her voice, I assumed she was standing right by the door, but even at that distance I was having a hard time hearing her. The walls of this house must be rather thick.

I heard Edward's reply as an incoherent mumble.

"Oh. Are you going to be gone for long?" Alice inquired.

I strained my ears, but even then I couldn't hear Edward's response, so I gave up and walked back into our shared bedroom. A few moments later, Alice came back in beaming.

"Phase one complete!" she exclaimed. "So did you hear most of the conversation?"

"Not exactly. I couldn't hear anything Edward was saying so I gave up and left," I said sheepishly. "So tell me everything!"

"Okay!" she said, continuing excitedly. "It was pretty easy, actually. I just told him that he would get to spend time alone with Rosalie and Emmett and he made up some plans for tomorrow. He said he'll be out until ten at night."

Out until ten? Did he have a date or something? "Oh, um, so where's he going to be all night?" I asked, trying to sound indifferent.

"He didn't exactly say. Maybe he's just going to a party around the neighborhood or maybe he has a date. Something along those lines. Not that it really matters… _right_, Bella?" she said, smirking at me pointedly.

"Right, totally," I agreed hastily, but judging by her reaction, she didn't buy it. She just raised an eyebrow at me. Did it bother me that he was possibly going out on a date? No, no, no. It didn't bother me nor should it. Alice interrupted my thoughts as she continued.

"The point is that he's going to be gone from eight to ten, which will give us more than enough time to get in there and get out."

"What exactly are we going to be doing in his room?" I asked, slightly scared of the answer.

"You'll see, Bella. Don't worry your pretty, little head about it. I'll tell you what your part is when the time comes," she chimed, feigning innocence.

I frowned. "I don't trust you one bit, but it looks like I have no choice."

She laughed and said, "Wow, you learn fast!"

I laughed along with her. "Oh, I almost forgot. I still need to unpack all of my stuff." I paused. "In fact, where _is_ my stuff?"

"It's all probably still waiting for you at the front door. Shall we go and get it? I could help you unpack while we're at it," she offered.

"Aw! Thank you, Alice. That's so kind of you! I couldn't ask for a better roomie than you." I said, honestly.

"I know," she giggled before skipping out of the room.

I was close on her heel the entire time. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, she turned around abruptly with a silly grin on her face, causing me to bump into her. I stared at her, questioning her sanity for a second.

Then, she winked at me and said, "Oh, and in case you were wondering, when I walked into Edward's room, he was still holding your shirt in his hand."

--

Forty-five minutes and ten not-so-nice comments on my wardrobe later, we were finished unpacking all my stuff. Fortunately, I didn't have a lot. _Un_fortunately, Alice insisted that she buy me more. Judging by her own wardrobe, all the clothes she'll buy will be from some designer label. The last thing I wanted was for her to be spending money on me. But when I protested she just reminded me of my words from earlier, 'I don't trust you one bit, but it looks like I have no choice.'

"Alice, can we talk about this another time? Let's go eat. We never got to get that snack from the kitchen and I'm starved," I said, trying to avoid the subject of shopping.

"Alright, fine," she conceded, "Let's go out to eat for today. I know a great restaurant we can go to and while we're there I'll tell you more about the Cullens because, trust me, there is _a lot_ you still need to learn."

She started dragging me out the door _again_. I'm starting to think it's going to become a tradition.

When we were outside, I paused. "Alice, how are we going to get there anyway?"

"We can take my car," she said casually.

She led me over to a shiny, yellow Porsche. She took out her keys and pressed a button. I heard a click as both of the car doors unlocked. My mouth dropped open in amazement. "Wow, Alice, if you can afford _this_ then why do you bother doing this job?"

She hesitated. Then she asked uncertainly, "Bella, can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure, go for it. You can trust me."

She paused again before hastily saying, "Never mind, maybe later. I-it's nothing."

I frowned at her, suspiciously. She ushered me into the passenger seat of the car before I could protest, though. Then, she jumped into the driver's seat. She backed out of the driveway with ease. Neither of us seemed to know what to say after Alice's little outburst.

Alice broke the silence by turning on the radio. I didn't recognize the song, but she seemed to. "Oh my goodness! I love this song!"

She immediately cranked the volume so it was blaring through the speakers. It was really upbeat and catchy. It did sound like something Alice would listen to. She rolled down the windows and started singing along with the music as loud as she could while she danced around in her seat. The music was really contagious and before I knew it, I was bouncing up and down in my seat to the music, laughing along with her.

By the end of the second song, we were already pulling into the parking lot of an Italian restaurant. I didn't recognize the name of the restaurant, but this summer was going to be all about trying new things. We walked inside and were immediately seated. While we were looking through our menus, I started to question her again.

"So tell me again why you are doing this nanny thing for the Cullens when you so _obviously_ don't need the money."

"Well, I don't know. There are plenty of different reasons," she said. She didn't elaborate, trying desperately to drop the subject.

I wasn't about to let her off that easily, however. "Alice, I just want you to know that I can be _very_ stubborn when I want to be and I _will_ find out what you're not telling me."

"Okay, okay," she relented, "Well, first of all, it's only half true that I don't need the money. You see, my parents got sick of my spending habits so they told me I should try to find a job. They told me I had to make a certain amount of money on my own before they would 'forgive' me. I wasn't planning to take on a full-time job at first, but then I saw this job in an online ad and it seemed absolutely perfect! In the beginning, I was only going to be working here for a summer, but I ended up delaying school to stay here.

"I haven't told anybody else this, but my parents told me after two months of working for the Cullens that I could come back home and quit working and that they would support me and my spending habits again. I didn't want to leave, though. I really fell in love with this job, so I've been staying here instead of going home.

"And that car that we drove here with was actually a gift. After my first summer there, I felt like the Cullens were the family I had always dreamt of and they treated me like part of the family, so I know they felt the same way about me. For Christmas, they bought me that car."

I listened to her intently. She sounded so happy speaking of the Cullens. "Wow, Alice. That's amazing. I don't understand why you consider that a secret, though."

"I haven't exactly gotten to the secret part yet. You see," she started, but hesitated once again before continuing. "One of the major reasons that I'm still working here is because I want to get closer to…—Jasper!" she exclaimed suddenly, her eyes focused on someone behind me.

I turned around and was face to face with a tall guy with honey blond hair and deep, blue eyes.

And next to him was none other than Edward Cullen.

* * *

**Alright, that concludes another chapter. I'm hoping I can get to ****75 reviews**** for this chapter, but we'll just have to wait and see now won't we… I leave it up to you guys!**

**I realize this chapter was only slightly longer than chapter 3 was word wise, but it certainly moved the plot along so I hope that counts for something. I wanted to give you guys something before tomorrow. We all know what tomorrow is, don't we!**

**Anyway, Alice and Bella will start destroying Edward's life soon enough. Possibly starting next chapter! I have a few ideas in mind, but if you have any ideas you would like to add, I'd be happy to hear them! After all, I'm always glad to hear from you all.**

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	5. Possibilites

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**Hey everybody! I hope you guys enjoyed reading Breaking Dawn as much as I did! It had one surprise after another! I could talk about it to no end, I'm sure. I'll spare you all, however. It's sad to know that it's over, but it's nice to see you've all returned to Fan Fiction for more! You can never have too much Twilight, though, right?**

**Anyway, I realize now that I made some mistakes on the last chapter. Somebody so kindly corrected me, so thank you again for that. The mistake was something I overlooked, but it doesn't affect the plot whatsoever, so I figured you guys might be able to forgive me for my carelessness!**

**Most importantly, I want to give a big thank you to all my reviewers! I asked you guys to help me reach 75 reviews for that last chapter and you guys gave me 98 and counting! You guys are incredible! I'd be nowhere without you all.**

**Lastly, I apologize for the delayed update, but one can only read through 754 pages so fast! I was also suffering from a case of writer's block for a few days… I hope this chapter is worth the wait. Enjoy!**

* * *

_I turned around and was face to face with a tall guy with honey blond hair and deep, blue eyes._

_And next to him was none other than Edward Cullen._

* * *

**Possibilities**

The two of them were standing at the entrance of the restaurant. The blond, who I assumed was Jasper, looked up and he smiled in recognition as he saw Alice wave him over. He turned to Edward and tapped his shoulder to get his attention and then motioned toward us. Alice fluffed out her spiky hair as Jasper started heading our way, Edward close on his trail.

"Hello, Alice. Who's your friend?" Jasper inquired politely.

"Jasper, this is Bella. Bella, Jasper," Alice answered with a smile, waving her hand between us. Then, she raised an eyebrow at Edward and added, "And you two have already met, correct?"

"Unfortunately," I muttered quietly under my breath, although everybody heard me anyway.

Alice pressed her lips together to keep from laughing at the memory of what I told her. Jasper turned to Edward and raised an eyebrow questioningly. And to my surprise, Edward looked almost… repentant?

I stared at him curiously. He just stared back as if trying to convey something to me. Alice seemed to notice our exchange because she excused herself—and Jasper for that matter.

"Jasper, I just remembered there was something really important that I needed to talk to you about… Um, over there!" she exclaimed, getting up and grabbing Jasper by the arm, leading him to an unoccupied table for two not too far from our table, but just out of hearing range.

I watched them go. Alice was certainly being a tricky, little devil today. What was she trying to pull, leaving Edward and I alone together? Then again, maybe she really _did_ have to speak with Jasper about something. Oh, who am I kidding? With Alice I should always expect an ulterior motive. I found it sort of funny how I already felt like I've known her for years on end although it had only been a few hours.

I continued watching them as they sat down at the unoccupied table without consent from the waiter who had previously seated us and who was now glaring pointedly at Alice and Jasper. They didn't seem to notice, however. They looked pretty lost in each other. Jasper said something to her and she laughed and said something back. Then they were both laughing. If I didn't know better I would think they were a couple rather than an employer and his employee.

"What is going on between those two…?" I wondered. I hadn't realized that I said it out loud until Edward responded.

"Isn't it quite obvious? They are both completely taken with each other, although Jasper won't do anything about it. Jasper has been debating with himself—and me for that matter—about whether or not he should tell her how he feels for almost a year now. Alice, on the other hand, has known that their feelings were mutual the moment she saw him and has been patiently waiting for him to make the first move," Edward explained softly, as if he were afraid a single wrong word would set me off.

"Aw, they look so perfect together…" I murmured to myself, watching Alice and Jasper.

"I've been telling him that since day one. Esme and Carlisle have given them their blessing too, despite the whole dating-your-employee-crap he gets from other people around the neighborhood sometimes."

"Hm… Personally, I've never been opposed to the idea of an employer dating his or her employee. I don't see what the big deal is. It seems perfectly rational if you ask me," I blurted out.

"I feel the exact same way, Bella," I heard him murmur, his voice making my name sound like music. There was so much feeling in his voice when he said that, I had to look over at his expression to try and understand what he was getting at.

When I looked over at him, he was staring at me intently, his eyes scorching. I suddenly realized what my statement might have implied and I looked down at my lap, blushing profusely.

In a feeble attempt to avoid Edward's intense gaze, I went back to watching Alice and Jasper. At this point, they had picked up their menus and were flipping through them.

"It looks like I just lost my dinner partner," I mused, talking to nobody in particular.

Edward followed my gaze and chuckled. "I could say the same thing. Would you mind if I joined you?"

I looked at him, stunned. Was this _really_ the same person that I had encountered a few hours ago? "No, not at all," I found myself saying, gesturing for him to sit.

He complied. As he picked up his menu, he started teasing me. "So have you always seen yourself at the age of twenty working as a nanny?"

"Have you always seen yourself out of school and still living with your parents?" I retorted.

He laughed. "Actually, I just got back from college three days ago. I'm only going to be home for the summer."

"Oh, really? What are you majoring in?"

"I'm a medical student at Dartmouth," he said nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.

_Wow, so he's rich, gorgeous, _and _smart? Some people have it all_, I thought. I would never admit it to anyone, though. _I wonder what _else_ he's good at…_

"What about you?" he said, snapping me out of my thoughts before they got out of hand.

"Huh?" I asked, momentarily confused.

He looked amused by my spacing out. "What are you majoring in?" he repeated.

"Oh, I'm majoring in English."

"Oh. Do you go to school near here?"

"Nah, my college is all the way in Washington."

"That's a shame," he said. Oddly, I couldn't hear a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Will you be working for my family for long?"

"I don't intend to stay here for long. Maybe until after this summer ends," I answered honestly. "But who knows? That could change. My mind isn't completely made up yet."

"Believe me, once you meet Emmett and Rosalie, you'll be catching the next flight out of here," he joked lightheartedly.

I laughed along with him. It was so much easier to believe what Alice was saying about him being a decent person now that he seemed to be making an effort to be nice. I wondered if I had just run into him at a bad time. Either that or he had a multiple personality disorder. I couldn't help hoping that Alice was right, though. Speaking of Alice, I glanced over at her and she was staring straight at me and Edward.

She was talking rapidly to Jasper, her eyes locked on the table that I was sharing with Edward. Jasper turned around to stare at us too, most likely at something that Alice said. When he saw me staring back, he immediately turned back to Alice, but Alice's gaze was still fixed on Edward and I. Jasper said something to her and she nodded her head feverishly before babbling again—no doubt gossiping to her heart's desire.

I looked down at my lap, remembering Alice's comment earlier about how Edward and I would make a good couple and began blushing at her assumptions. I looked back up at her. She met my gaze evenly and starting pointing back and forth between Edward and I. Then she used both her hands to form a heart and winked twice at me.

I blushed even harder than before and glowered at her, mouthing 'stop it.' She stuck her tongue out at me. Edward seemed to notice my diverted attention and looked behind him, curiously. Tricky, little Alice dropped her hands the second she saw Edward turning around and pretended to be unusually engrossed in her menu.

Jasper glanced back at us, probably wondering about the cause of Alice's sudden change in demeanor. He locked eyes with Edward. I couldn't see the expression on Edward's face, but it seemed as though he silently asked Jasper something. Jasper chuckled and nodded. Edward's shoulders began shaking with silent laughter in response while I had no idea what just went on in their little exchange. I looked over to Alice to see if she was following them, but her head was still buried in her menu. I guess it's a guy thing.

Edward turned back at me with an entertained expression on his face. "Don't think too much of it. Alice is always like that. You get used to it after a while."

I wasn't exactly sure what he meant, so I just shrugged. He returned his attention back to his menu as I did the same.

"So what are you going to order?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Um, I don't know yet. Any recommendations?"

"You should try the mushroom ravioli."

I smiled. "Okay, I think I will," I said, closing my menu.

He closed his too, saying, "Me too."

As if on cue, our waiter came to our table, not missing a beat. He turned to me, ignoring Edward's presence completely. "Hello, miss. I'm Eric and I'll be your server today. What can I get you?" he asked, addressing me.

"Um, I'll have the mushroom ravioli and a coke." The attention that Eric was giving me was making me uncomfortable.

Edward cleared his throat, clearly annoyed. Eric reluctantly turned to him and mumbled, "And what would you like, sir?"

When Edward finished ordering, Eric turned back to me. "Is there _anything_ else I can get you, miss?"

"No, thank you," I said briskly.

He walked away, seeming to take the hint. Edward scowled after him. When he was out of sight, Edward turned to me again. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by an uproar of noise coming from the entrance of the restaurant.

I turned around, curiously. There was a couple entering and trailing behind them was a mob of photographers. The workers at the restaurant were working hard to try and keep them out of the restaurant and give the patrons some space. I should have expected Alice to drag me to some place that was a hot spot for celebrities.

"Look this way, please!"

"Is this engagement going to affect your upcoming—?"

"There have been rumors that—"

The voices of the reporters were ringing through the entire room as they tried to talk over the others. Finally, somebody who I assumed was the manager of this restaurant forcibly pushed the paparazzi behind the doors and shut them, whispering specific directions to the workers to keep them out.

I hadn't realized that I was openly gawking at the pandemonium until it was over. I looked over at Edward to find him watching me. The second I caught him staring at me he looked away.

"Wow, I never truly realized how annoying the paparazzi can be. I know for a fact that _I _would never be able to put up with that," I scoffed.

For some reason, Edward just grimaced and looked away. I wanted to ask him why, but he seemed rather deep in thought.

At that moment, Eric came to our table with basket of assorted bread sticks and our drinks. He left without a word. I picked up a bread stick and began to nibble on one end. Edward took a sip of his drink. There was a long moment of silence.

A few minutes later, Eric returned with our food. I muttered a thank you to him. He nodded and left. I speared the ravioli and put it into my mouth. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until now.

"So do you like it?" Edward asked.

"It tastes like heaven," I admitted simply. "You have very good taste."

"I'm glad you like it."

We both continued eating and eventually fell into an easy conversation. He asked me very trivial questions and I answered without hesitation.

"Favorite book?"

"There are way too many books to choose from, but I'm very fond of the classics."

"Favorite color?"

"It changes daily, mostly depending on whatever my mood is that day."

He started laughing suddenly. I looked at him questioningly. "You never have a simple answer do you?"

"Well, I'm sorry for having a _personality_," I scoffed.

He laughed and taunted, "Okay, how about this? Birthstone. Let's see if you can answer _that_ in one word."

I rolled my eyes. "Sapphire. Happy now?"

"No. That was three words," he said, pressing his lips together to keep from laughing at the defeated expression on my face.

"You know, shouldn't it be my turn to ask the questions? I haven't gotten a word in this entire time with you firing questions off like that."

"Oh, please. You're answers were longer than each of my questions."

I sent him a glare.

"Okay, fine. Ask away," he conceded with a laugh, motioning for me to go on.

"Why are you here?" I asked shortly. A hurt, confused expression crossed his face and I realized how rude my question sounded so I quickly amended. "I mean, not that I don't want you here. I was just wondering, um, what made you decide to come here suddenly."

His expression smoothed out and he nodded in understanding. "Well, why are you here? To eat a nice dinner with your friend, right? Can't I do the same?" he said.

He sounded so defensive. It made me kind of suspicious, but I could tell it wasn't something that he wanted to talk about at the moment. I would get the answer out of him sooner or later. "Wow, you even _answer_ my questions in questions," I teased lightly, dropping the subject.

He laughed quietly. He took another bite of his food before motioning for me to continue. I didn't say anything immediately. I paused and ate in silence for a brief moment. I was already full so I pushed my plate away from me and set my fork down.

"I'm stuffed," I announced.

"Me too," Edward said, leaning back in his chair. Then, he motioned for our waiter to get the bill.

I opened my mouth, about to speak, but Eric came bounding toward us at that moment with the bill in hand. I turned to get my wallet from my purse, but by the time I turned around, Edward was already handing Eric a gold credit card. I scolded him.

"My treat," he said easily.

"No way. I can't let you pay for this," I insisted.

"Humor me."

I had never liked it when people spent unnecessary money on me. This made me more uncomfortable than usual, however, because it made this dinner feel like some kind of blind date.

Eric walked away with the credit card despite my protests. Edward seemed perfectly at ease. I sighed in resignation.

"You really didn't have to do that, you know," I muttered, although I already knew it was useless.

"Yes, I know."

I frowned in confusion and looked him in the eye, seriously. He met my gaze evenly, sensing that I had something important I needed to say. "I don't get it, Edward, but I must admit, you're a lot different than I thought you were. So, if this is your way of apologizing in a not-so-many-words way, apology accepted," I concluded, smiling at him.

It was his turn to frown in confusion. "_Me_ apologize? Bella, I think you're poorly mistaken. I'm not _apologizing_ to _you_. I'm _accepting _your apology to _me_," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Besides, what do _I _have to apologize for? If I remember correctly, you're the one that was careless and bumped into me."

"What do you mean 'what do I have to apologize for'? How you could _not _know what you did is beyond me!" I screamed at him as my anger rose. I stood up abruptly.

How could one person be so haughty and uncouth? His reaction to my bumping into him was something to apologize for on its own—not to mention the other incident where he purposely ruined my shirt. I had already said my apologies for _my _faults. Was it too much to ask that he do the same?

Eric was returning with Edward's credit card, but I was already walking toward the exit, fuming. I managed to ignore the stares of everybody around us.

"Bella!" Edward called after me.

I spun around and sent him an icy glare. "That's _Isa_bella to you," I spat at him before leaving.

When I opened the door, I saw that the mob of photographers had lessened, but there were still plenty left. The rush of cool air that hit me when I stepped outside helped clear my head. Angry tears stung my eyes as I proceeded to walk down the sidewalk toward the Cullen manor. I didn't have a car to drive since Alice took me here. I didn't particularly mind, though, because I wanted the time to myself to think. I was more calm now that I was outside and away from everybody else.

I wasn't entirely sure why I reacted to his insincerity so strongly. I supposed it was because I was truly hoping that maybe I had been wrong about him at first and that he really _was_ the great person that Alice claimed he was. I was unconsciously wishing the entire night that Edward and I could be on good terms with each other at the very least. It didn't help that Alice's words from earlier were still running through my head, clear as a bell. '…You two would make the cutest couple ever!' It hurt to think of Alice's statement now because for a second, I could actually _see_ the possibility. It was absurd. It was crazy. But at the same time, it was possible.

_What is going on in Edward Cullen's head, anyway? I can never seem to keep up with him… He is _so_ impossible!_

I didn't have much time to dwell alone with only my thoughts to keep me company, however, because at that moment, a car pulled up beside me.

"Bella, get in. I think we should talk."

* * *

**That concludes yet another chapter of my story! Thank you my faithful readers for all of your patience. I hope you weren't disappointed with this chapter. Honestly, what did you guys think of it? I'd love to know! **

**How many of you thought that Bella and Edward would kiss and make up (that's just an expression, of course)?** **How many of you knew I would never give up a chance to let Alice and Bella destroy Edward? How many of you hate Bella for her overreaction?  
**

**Speaking of destroying Edward, I'm still accepting ideas for the revenge they're about to pull. Again, I have something planned already, so don't worry I'm not completely clueless. However, I like to keep my options open, so please feel free to include any ideas in your review!**

**Poll results: 93 percent of my voters said that they would be returning to Fan Fiction without a doubt and that they wouldn't be able to stay away if they tried. 7 percent said they won't be here as much and nobody said they wouldn't be returning at all! All in all, my poll had awesome results, so thank you to all who voted!**

**As always, please review! I won't be asking for a specific amount of reviews this time. I have faith in you guys to review, so I'll just hope for the best. After all, I owe you guys that faith at the very least. You guys have yet to let me down!(:**


	6. Incipient

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**Hey everybody! A huge thank you to all my reviewers! Here's another update! As you can see, it's a little longer than usual. I thought you guys deserved a longer chapter! By the looks of it, you can probably expect a new chapter approximately once a week, more or less. No promises, though.**

**Furthermore, my story was just added to the C2, The Human in Them, so hooray for that! I'm truly honored to have my story be a part in one of the best communities out there. Thank you for reading!**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

_I didn't have much time to dwell alone with only my thoughts to keep me company, however, because at that moment, a car pulled up beside me._

"_Bella, get in. I think we should talk." _

* * *

**Incipient**

I bit my lip debating with myself, but I realized it would be stupid to refuse the ride, although I didn't feel like talking at the moment. With a resigned sigh, I opened the passenger seat and slid in.

"I'm sorry for leaving like that," I mumbled.

"It's okay, Bella. I was ready to leave anyway," Alice said, smiling at me to show me I was forgiven. "Why did you leave like that, though? It looked like everything was going so well…"

"It was going well at first. Edward was being really nice and he seemed like a whole different person. I thought that we might even be able to be friends eventually, but then the clock struck midnight and he turned back into a pumpkin," I finished bitterly.

"It's only 8 o' clock."

I gave her a you-know-what-I-mean look.

"So does that mean you still want to go through with the revenge?" Alice asked, hope in her eyes.

To be honest, I had completely forgotten about that plan. I grinned viciously. "Oh, most definitely. In fact, let's start tonight rather than tomorrow. He may not be sorry now, but he will be…"

She laughed at my enthusiasm. "Sounds like a plan. But I can't have everything set up under such short notice. We would need around two hours to be safe and we barely have ten minutes."

My face fell in disappointment. "Can't we rethink it a little? Change the plan maybe? Isn't there anything we can do under ten minutes?" I asked, frantically grasping for a possible alternative.

She hesitated. "Maybe… if we can get home fast enough."

"Drive, Alice, drive!" I yelled to her.

I instantly regretted it, however. The car sped up with a subtle jolt. I clutched the sides of my seat. "Alice, how fast are you going?" I screeched.

"Relax, Bella. I'm only going 80."

"As in miles?!" I screamed, incredulously. "Alice, we're not on the freeway! Slow down!"

Alice was the picture of ease while I was practically hyperventilating. "Bella, calm down. It's going to be okay. I drive like this all the time and I've never crashed. In fact, I've never even gotten a ticket for before!"

I looked over at her. She didn't appear to be lying. She looked so calm that it wasn't hard to believe that she'd driven like this a million times before. I took a deep breath and started focusing on anything, but her driving. "Okay, so what are we going to do to Edward once we get back?"

"I don't know, but we better think of something quick."

"Oh! I know. He was planning to go somewhere tomorrow night, right? Why don't we put hair dye in his shampoo? That way, if he's planning to go out he'll have to suffer the public humiliation or come up with some sorry excuse as to why his hair is some ungodly color. I'd love to hear what he comes up with."

"But that's so over-used!" Alice complained.

"It's a classic! Besides, it's the best we've got on short notice. Are you in or not?"

Alice pouted for a bit, but she gave in. She drove through the open gate and pulled into the Cullens' driveway, muttering, "Fine, but it has to be hot pink. Edward can't stand that color." She started snickering at the thought.

I laughed along with her. I jumped out of the car before it was completely stopped, stumbling a bit on the landing. Alice grabbed her keys and followed me as I all but ran up the steps toward the front door. "Okay, so where are we going to get the hair dye?"

"Emmett is quite a prankster. He always keeps a stash somewhere around here, so we can get some from him," she said without hesitation. I wondered how she knew this. I figured it was probably from experience. "Okay, you wait here by the entrance and tip me off if Edward and Jasper pull in, alright?"

"Sure. No problem."

At that, Alice ran towards the stairs to find Emmett. I squinted through the dark. A few minutes later, I could see headlights heading our way. I held my breath, praying it wouldn't be them. As the car drew nearer, I could see the outline of a van. It drove past the front gates, thankfully.

I let out a breath of relief. Soon enough, however, another car was making its way down the street. It was too far down the street for me to make out anything other than the headlights. I was willing to bet that it was Edward and Jasper, nonetheless.

"Bella, I got the hair dye! Hurry up!" Alice yelled down to me from the top of the stairs.

I looked up at her and then glanced down the street. The car began to slow as it approached the front gate. Ignoring Alice's cries, I ran down to the booth positioned next to the gate. Just as I expected, there was a man there controlling the gate, getting ready to open it and allow Edward and Jasper entry.

"Wait, Stop!" I yelled to the watchman as I came closer. He froze and looked over at me, alarmed. "Please, please, please don't open that gate just yet! Please just stall them for, like, five minutes! That's all I'm asking. Just pretend it's broken or something! I beg of you! Okay? Great! Thank you so much!" I continued in a hurry, running off before he could reply.

I skidded to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. Alice was still waiting at the top with a small bottle in her hands, jumping up and down in a flurry of impatience. "Bella, hurry!"

"They're just outside the gate, but I asked the watchman to stall them. He can't keep it up for long, though, so we better go!" I filled her in as I ran up the stairs, tripping a little when I reached the top. Alice grabbed my arm before I fell on my face, but started dragging me off before I could even gain my footing.

I glanced below at the open door and I could briefly make out the silhouettes of either Edward or Jasper arguing with the watchman. He threw his arms up in exasperation and then got back into the driver's seat while the watchman leaned into the car window, probably feeding them some lie about the gate.

I giggled, hardly believing that he actually listened to somebody's silly request and went against his employer. Although—come to think of it—I was doing something of the same context with Alice.

That was all I could see before the entryway was out of my line of sight due to Alice's persistent tugging. We reached Edward's room and Alice threw the door open skillfully, without slowing down at all. I paused while Alice ran into a door on my right that led to his bathroom. I took a moment to actually _look_ at the room in front of me for the first time.

The whole room was built of different shades of gold and black. There was a huge bed pushed up against the wall in the left corner of the room. Lining the walls were bookshelves filled with CDs of all kinds. There was a large carpet in the center of the room. The whole room seemed to match, just like the rest of the house. It was oddly clean too. The only article of clothing in sight was my chocolate-covered shirt, lying on top of his desk. I assumed that the door right across from the bathroom was his closet.

I walked over to the desk and picked up my shirt. At that moment, Alice skipped into the room with a huge grin on her face. The bottle that was previously in her hand was no longer there. "Mission accomplished!" she sang.

I beamed at her. I opened my mouth to say something, but somebody beat me to it.

"And just what have we accomplished?" a smooth voice inquired.

I froze. I saw a look of horror flash across Alice's face before she composed herself. I slowly turned around, trying to keep my apprehension out of my expression. As expected, standing in the doorway was Edward with Jasper not far behind.

"Well? Are you going to tell me what you're doing in my room?"

"We were, um—"

"—were just getting Bella's shirt back since _you_ neglected to return it." Alice explained in an even voice, cutting me off. Her face was the picture of innocence.

I suddenly remembered the shirt in my hands. I lifted it as proof, nodding my head in agreement. Edward glared suspiciously, but he seemed to accept our answer—for the moment, anyway.

"Alright, you have what you came for. Now get out." he said. The hostility in his voice seemed to only be directed towards Alice. He hadn't glanced once at me since he got here. Alice took my arm and skipped gleefully out of the room, despite Edward's enmity, while I stumbled along behind her.

I could feel his gaze on our retreating figures. She didn't stop until we reached our room. She swiftly closed the door behind her. When she was satisfied we couldn't be heard, she started giggling madly. Her laughter was contagious and I joined in.

"How do we know when it worked?" I asked when our laughter had subsided.

"When we hear him yell, 'Crap! Emmett, get your ass in here!'" Alice answered, causing us to burst out in laughter all over again.

"So you don't think he'll suspect us?" I panted as I regained control of my breathing.

"No, he will. His first thought will be that Emmett did it, but then he'll put two and two together and realize that we had the motivation _and_ the opportunity," she clarified with certainty.

"Do you think he'll try and get revenge?"

"Probably."

I shrugged it off. At this point, I couldn't imagine anything worse than getting your hair dyed hot pink. I was certain that whatever revenge he put us through would be worth it.

"Don't forget, Bella. Tomorrow is your first official day at work!" Alice said, exuberantly.

I wondered where she got all the energy from. After a day as hectic as today, I was totally beat. Now, with the reminder of all the possible ways I could screw up tomorrow and lose my job, I was completely exhausted. "Yippee!" I said, sarcastically.

"Honestly, it really can be a lot of fun at times. I wasn't just saying that. Although, I must admit, it can be a lot of work at other times, but don't worry, Bella. With me as your mentor, you can do no wrong!"

I laughed at her, and all my fears of the upcoming day disappeared. "So now you're my mentor?" I asked, amused.

"Mentor; partner in crime; fairy godmother who you would be powerless without. You take your pick," she shrugged.

"Why, yes of course. Where would I be without you, my friend who, a couple hours ago, I never even knew existed?" I teased.

She grinned at me and copied my tone, mocking me. "Why, you would be sitting alone in this very room with a basin between your legs, trying helplessly to get the chocolate stains out of your shirt, all the while grumbling about what an idiot Edward is and how you _wished_ with all your heart that there was a way to get him back," she declared in one breath, without a moment's hesitation.

I glared at her while she stared back, smiling too innocently. Naturally, I was the first to sigh and look away. She smiled victoriously while I just shook my head at her silliness.

"Let's go to bed, Alice. Like you said, we both have work tomorrow."

Alice's smile fell. "You're right. It's getting kind of late anyways," she said, deflated. Suddenly, her energy came back as quickly as it had gone. "Hey, this is going to be my first night sleeping with a roomie!" she stated with glee.

"You won't be that ecstatic when you're up all night because of my snoring."

I laughed at her mortified expression. "I was just kidding, Alice. However, I do sleep talk."

"Oh, phew. For a second I thought that I might have to wear earplugs to sleep."

"Speaking of sleep, let's get changed."

"Okay," Alice agreed, walking over to the dresser.

She started opening a few drawers and pulling out a set of purple silk pajamas. I took out a tank top and sweats. I'd never bothered buying expensive pajamas. I figured nobody would see them anyway. I saw her eye my choice of sleepwear with disapproval, but as she was opening her mouth, I silenced her with a glare. After that, she just pressed her lips into a thin line, muttering about how I desperately needed a trip to the mall.

We both finished at around the same time. She climbed up the ladder to the top bunk and I slid into the bed underneath her after turning off the lights. The bed was surprisingly comfortable. Once I was settled in, I heard Alice's voice in the darkness.

"Nighty-night, roomie!" she sang.

"Goodnight," I mumbled, already half asleep.

I briefly heard her giggle before drifting off into a light sleep. I was woken not too long after, however, by a muffled yell from down the hall, ringing in the darkness. At that, Alice and I were both in hysterics again. She leaned over the side of her bed so that her head was hanging next to mine, upside down.

"It just doesn't get better than that," Alice giggled.

Before I could answer, we both heard a door slamming loudly. We heard Edward coming down the hall, cursing all the way. His footsteps drew nearer and nearer and then stopped abruptly. Alice and I both looked towards the door. Any second now the door would open, revealing a furious, very pink Edward. I braced myself for his wrath.

It never came, however. After a short pause, we could hear his footsteps moving down the hall again, drifting further and further away. I glanced at Alice in confusion.

"He's not even going to try and get us back?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"I guess he's decided to wait until morning. Don't let your guard down and don't be surprised if you wake up bald," she said casually before settling back into her bed, out of my sight.

"What?!" I cried, sitting upright in bed.

"I'm kidding, Bella," she said, leaning over her bed again to look at me with an amused expression. "We'll be fine." She was clearly enjoying this too much.

"We better be," I muttered. "Let it be on your conscience if I'm missing a toe tomorrow morning."

"Silly Bella." She shook her head at me before crawling back into her bed once again.

After a day like today, I was way too tired to be wary. Before long, I drifted into a deep sleep.

"Oh, Bella!" a chipper voice sang. I opened my eyes slightly, squinting against the light. I saw Alice jumping up and down beside my bed. "We survived the night, Bella!" she said. "And in one piece too!" she said as if it were the most phenomenal thing in the world because she just loves to mock me, it would appear.

I was used to waking up to an alarm clock, but Alice was way louder than any alarm clock I'd ever used. Where did all the energy come from? "Hooray," I murmured almost incoherently, "alert the nation." I must admit I was never a morning person. Never will be.

I turned over so that I was facing away from her. "Not so fast, Bella," she scolded, grabbing my sheets and tugging on them. "We have to get up and prepare for work!"

I sighed. "What time do we have to be down?"

"Eight o' clock sharp."

"What time is it now?" I asked, not making any move to get out of bed.

"Six thirty," she said, offhandedly.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me, Alice. We have plenty of time. Now let me sleep," I grumbled.

"Bella, you have to get up now! We still need to pick out our outfits and shower. Then we need to do our hair and makeup! No offense, but you're a total bed head right now. I'm telling you, Bella, you have to get up _now_!"

I groaned. The way to get me up in the mornings was _not_ by telling me that I would get a full makeover. I scooted away from her and clutched my pillow over my head, drowning out her voice.

"That is _it_!" she said, furiously.

The outrage in her voice had me hesitating for a second. I began to genuinely fear for myself. I rolled over and looked at her warily. "Alice, what are you—?"

I never got to finish my question because suddenly she had a bullhorn pressed against my ear. "Wake up, sleepyhead!" she screamed.

I jumped a foot high and landed with an audible crash on the floor of my bed. By the time I had gotten up—no thanks to Alice, I might add—she was sitting on my bed, brushing her hair, and feigning innocence. "I'm glad you could join me, Bella!"

I sighed. Let the torture begin.

"Now go take a shower while I pick out your outfit for today," she demanded, pointing to one of the doors off to the side.

I walked through the door and found myself in huge bathroom. All the tiles were spotless. There was a small bathtub pushed up against the left wall and a shower next to it. Covering almost an entire wall was a large mirror and under the mirror were two sinks. There was a large wooden cabinet in the corner.

I took a quick shower and dried myself with a towel hanging by the door. There was a knock on the door. I opened it only slightly and Alice stuck her hand in. I took the pile of clothes that were in her hand from her.

"Thanks, Alice."

I took a look at the clothes in my hand and realized that they weren't even mine. There was a short jean miniskirt and a simple black tank top in my hand. "Alice, these aren't mine," I called out to her.

"You're right. They're better!"

"Alice, stop kidding around. Give me my clothes now."

"No! Just put those on and let me see how it looks."

By now, I've realized that fighting with Alice is futile. She always wins. So I put the clothes on and opened the door without so much as glancing in the mirror. Alice looked at me and clapped. "See, I knew it would look amazing on you!"

"Wow, speak for yourself! You look incredible, Alice," I said.

She was dressed in a green halter top and white shorts that complimented her figure nicely. It was astounding how she could make such a simple outfit look like it belonged on the runway. "Thank you. Now, time to do your hair and makeup."

She led me back into the bathroom, grabbed a chair from the bedroom and placed it in front of the mirror. She started drying my hair and then swept it up in a neat, casual ponytail. Then she started on my makeup. I had to admit, she did a great job. My makeup was light and natural and there were wisps of hair escaping my loose ponytail and framing my face.

"Well?" Alice asked, beaming at me and admiring her job well done.

"Alice, you're a genius! I love it," I said. I was proud of her for not going overboard with my morning makeover.

She only took five minutes to complete her own makeup and then she jumped up and skipped back into the bedroom. I followed her to the door. I glanced at the clock hanging above our dresser. We still had forty minutes.

"Alice, we still have plenty of time. Why did you have to wake me up so early?"

"Well, I didn't know how long you would take to shower and besides, it's better to be early on your first day of work than late!" Alice defended herself.

"Fine, whatever. Let's go," I said putting my hand on the doorknob.

I turned it and pulled the door open in one swift movement. Neither Alice nor I were expecting what happened next, however. A huge bin of filled with muddy water spilled some of its contents into our room. I instinctively made a grab for it before it reached the floor, but my fingers couldn't find purchase against its smooth exterior. It rolled over in my arms, projecting the water even higher and farther in the air. Then, it clattered to the floor, but not before soaking Alice and me in liquid muck from waist down.

"Ewww!" Alice shrieked an octave higher than I thought possible. "Ew, ew, _ew_!" she chanted, fluttering her hands in an attempt to shake the filth off her hands.

I just stood there, stupidly. It took a minute for the situation to register in my mind. "Alice, what just happened?" I asked in a shocked voice.

"_Ugh_! Stupid Edward must've leaned a trash bin filled with _who-knows-what_ against our door so that when we opened it, it tumbled into our room! Can you believe him?" Alice fumed.

"The _nerve_ of some people!" I muttered.

"Ew! It even _smells_," she said, raising her hand to pinch her nose, but then, due to the unsanitary state of her hands, thought better of it. I scrunched up my nose, realizing she was right.

I looked around, surveying the damage. The carpet and all of the furniture near the door were soaking up the muck. "How are we ever going to get this out of the carpet and furniture?" I asked, distressed.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," Alice said, whipping out her cell phone from her pocket. "Hello, Lucinda? ...Yeah, I have another mess in my room… Yeah, the one on the second floor… Uh huh, do you think you can get it cleaned out by the end of the day? … Uh, just the front of the room by the doorway… Yeah, it's all soaked in, uh, mud… Oh, that'd be fantastic! I'll leave a spare key to the room hanging from the door knob. Lock the door on your way out and slide the key under the door when you're done, okay? … Okay, thank you so much!"

She turned to me, beaming. "It'll be all cleaned up in the evening, around dinnertime."

I looked around. "Wow, it's hard to believe that it's even _possible_ to clean this mess."

"You know, I'm surprised I didn't see this coming. But out of all the things he could've done, he had to do this. At this rate, we might even be late for your first day of work! Unless that was his intention all along…" Alice mused.

"I wouldn't put it past him," I muttered.

"Alice," I began, "You _do_ know what this means, don't you?"

By the look she was giving me, I could tell she did know, but she played along. "And just what might that be, Bella?"

I replied simply. "War."

* * *

**Hey, guys listen up! You have all been such great readers, so I've decided to do things a little differently and reward my beloved reviewers! **

**Here's how it's going to work: ****When you review, I'll reply with a direct quote from the next chapter.**** If all goes well, I'll work harder to post the next chapter sooner. Believe it or not, the frequency of my updates depends more on you guys than it does on me! **

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**That said, please review!**


	7. Fatigued

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

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**I'm sorry for the delayed update. It seems I've been doing a lot of apologizing lately. I've had a busy week. At least the chapter is a lot longer than usual! If any of you remember, in my Author's Note for Chapter 1, I mentioned that if the story got a good response, the chapters would get longer, so I've been working towards that.**

**I hope this chapter's worth the wait! Enjoy.**

* * *

"_Alice," I began, "You do know what this means, don't you?"_

_By the look she was giving me, I could tell she did know, but she played along. "And just what might that be, Bella?"_

_I replied simply. "War."_

* * *

**Fatigued**

Alice and I ran down the stairs, racing against the clock. We were both freshly showered and our outfits were changed as well. Finally, we both stumbled into the dining room, breathless. Sitting at the longest table I've ever seen were Esme and two children who were probably Rosalie and Emmett. There were three waiters standing behind their chairs with trays in their hand. All eyes were on Alice and me.

I blushed and straightened up, but Alice just cheerfully greeted everyone. "Good morning! Sorry, we were a little… delayed this morning. Anyway, as some of you already know, this is Bella! Bella, this is Emmett, Rosalie, and you already know Esme."

There was a chorus of 'hellos' and 'good mornings.' I noticed that the three of them sat close together at one end of the table, only taking up about a quarter of the length. It was very unlike the movies where there's the parent on one of the far ends and the kids at the other, so far away that they can barely hear each other—if they even choose to speak.

I waved, shyly. Alice skipped over to her seat, pulling me along beside her. My seat was across from Emmett and Alice sat across from Rosalie. When we were seated, our food was placed in front of us. There was a ham omelet on the tray, a banana nut muffin off to the side, and a cup of orange juice. I was definitely starting to see what Alice meant when she said this job was the greatest.

"Bella, I'm so glad you could join us for breakfast. You two are right on time. I hope you had a nice sleep. Was everything to your liking?" Esme greeted, kindly.

"Very much so. Thank you," I replied timidly.

"That's good. Anyway, girls, I'm going to be gone all day. I'll be back around dinnertime. Rosalie and Emmett don't have any plans today, so you're only task is to accompany them and make sure they don't get into any trouble with the government again. Right, Emmett?" she said, looking at him accusingly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Mom," Emmett recited as if he were reading from a script. I saw Rosalie roll her eyes.

"No problem," Alice laughed.

"So, Bella—" Esme started, but she suddenly broke off and her gaze was directed behind me. "Oh my… _Edward Anthony Masen Cullen_, what in the name of… What did you do to your hair?"

Everybody's heads whipped around to look at the doorway, simultaneously. I already knew what to expect, but that didn't make it any less hilarious. At the sight of Edward standing there, his face emotionless, with his hot pink hair, we all started cracking up. Even Esme joined in the laughter.

"Nice hair, bro," Emmett said, as he chortled. I felt Emmett's foot nudge mine and his hand appeared next to my knee. I stuck my hand under the table to high-five him. He gave me an approving smile. Through the laughter, nobody noticed our exchange.

I was laughing too hard to form words, so I let the others do all the taunting. I held my sides, aching from all the laughing.

"What are you protesting against, Edward?" Alice laughed. I turned to her and we shared a victorious snicker. Nobody could possibly be enjoying this as much as we were.

"Your very existence," Edward retorted, bitingly.

"Really? That's interesting, because _I _just happen to be protesting against _pollution_. I've heard that there have been cases where polluted water has actually leaked indoors! I wonder how that could have happened," I accused, on the behalf of Alice and myself. "You wouldn't happen to know anything on the subject, now would you?"

"I do, as a matter of fact, I did a whole project on it. Besides, I'm sure that the situation was entirely justified. After all, you know what they say about karma," Edward said, his tone offhanded.

Esme looked back and forth between the three of us, knowing that she was missing something and yet not knowing what she was missing. Rosalie looked rather uninterested and Emmett looked so amused, he was probably on the verge of hysterics.

Alice glared meaningfully at Edward and said, "Yeah, they say karma's a son of a—"

"Alice!" Esme scolded. "Watch your language! Must I remind you there are children in the room?"

"Oh, _please_. As if I didn't already know what she was going to say," Rosalie interjected.

"Yeah, Mom, Rosalie must say that word at least a thousand times a day."

"Emmett! You idiot, you just broke the number one rule in this family!" Rosalie hissed.

Emmett immediately slapped his hand over his mouth. Esme shook her head in disappointment. "Rosalie Lillian Hale, haven't I taught you better than to use words like that?" she paused before adding, "And what 'number one rule?'"

"Nothing," Emmett and Rosalie muttered at the same time.

"I'm sorry, Mother," Rosalie recited in the same monotone that Emmett had used before.

I couldn't help but be amused at the exchange in front of me. My family had never had a conversation like this—at least not that I remembered. My parents were divorced. I lived with my mother, Renee, in Florida most of my life. She was a great mother, but she was always like the child in the family rather than a mother figure. On more than one occasion, I had to be the adult. When I was away from her, I couldn't help but worry for her. Eventually, she remarried. She married a guy named Phil. He seemed capable of taking care of her so I didn't worry as much.

When I was 17, I moved in with my Dad, Charlie. He lived all the way in Washington, so it was a huge decision on my part. I was certain that he had never gotten over my mother, but I never brought it up. He wasn't home much. He was usually out fishing on the weekends and as a police officer, he was very busy during the rest of the week. Once in a while, we would still sit down at the dining table together and eat, but it wasn't an everyday thing.

I had never felt deprived as a child, but it wasn't hard to decide that the Cullens were the picture-perfect family. I now knew what Alice meant when she said that this was the family she had always dreamt of. It warmed my heart just watching them. All they were missing was their father. I wondered where he was.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as Edward started walking my way. He stopped at the chair beside me and sat down. He didn't look at me once, however.

Now that I got a better look at him, I noticed he was kind of able to pull off the whole pink-hair look—as much as was humanely possible, anyway. There were very few people in the world that could still look great with hot pink hair and I suppose he just happened to be one of them. In fact, it should be illegal to use the word 'great' to describe such an Adonis. He was indescribable.

I wanted to slap myself for my thoughts. What was I thinking? I was supposed to hate him—not _worship_ him. I turned away from him sharply, disgusted by my thoughts.

_It's just physical attraction_, I reassured myself. However, I couldn't deny the pang of guilt in my heart when I saw the hurt expression flash across his face. It gave me an odd feeling to know that I could hurt him like that just by turning away from him. I wasn't sure what to make of it.

I looked around for a distraction. I saw a knowing look on Esme's face. Finding her attention on Edward and I made me blush. Esme sensed my discomfort and she immediately looked away from me and began to address Edward.

"So, Edward, you've decided to join us today? That's a pleasant surprise." Her voice wasn't accusing, only curious. In response Edward simply shrugged without looking her in the eye. Did he not eat with his family often?

At that moment Jasper walked into the room, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "Hey guys—_woah_! Edward, is that you under there?! Uh, wow. And I thought _I_ was a mess this morning…"

"Thanks, Jasper. You always know what a guy wants to hear, huh?" Edward said, sarcastically.

Esme laughed softly. "Good morning, Jasper."

I glanced over at Alice to see her beaming at Jasper, adoringly. Jasper looked at her and never looked away. Somehow the moment seemed so private I had to look away. I remembered what Edward said last night about the two of them. I would have to remember to ask Alice about it later.

Esme stood from her seat. "Anyway, kids, there's a lot to be done today. I'm sorry for leaving so soon, but as most of you know, your father is coming home soon and there are lots of arrangements to be made. I'll be back around dinnertime, so you two will be relieved from your duties early today. Okay, see you later tonight, children."

Everybody said their goodbyes and Esme walked over to each of the kids and gave them a kiss on their cheek. To my surprise, she came over to me and pecked me on the cheek too, as if I was a part of the family. Then, she walked away toward the doorway, but she paused on her way out.

"Remember, Emmett, don't cause too much trouble. It's Bella's first day," Esme warned as she turned around to look him in the eye.

"Yes, Mother," Emmett said, smiling angelically and showing off his dimples. "I'll be on my _best_ behavior!"

--

"Alice, _please_ help me!" I begged her, wincing as Emmett kicked my side again.

"I would if I could, Bella," Alice cried, looking at me apologetically while she sat with Rosalie standing over her.

"Hold still!" Rosalie snapped while she poked her with the mascara wand again.

"Faster, faster!" Emmett said from on top of my back. I continued crawling, my back threatening to give out from Emmett's weight. For an eleven-year-old he was _huge_.

"Ow!" Alice complained as Rosalie poked her too hard.

"Oh, _please_, Alice. You have nothing to complain about. At least you aren't on all fours carrying an elephant on your back!"

"Hey! _I'm freakin' tied to a chair here_!" Alice protested, motioning to the rope around her waist and arms with her few free fingers.

"How do I get myself into these situations?" I groaned.

"I don't know, Bella, but honestly you make a terrible horse," Emmett said casually.

"Maybe that's because I was meant to walk on _two _feet," I reasoned bitterly.

"Fine, have it your way."

I thanked the heavens when I felt the huge weight lifted from my back. My relief only lasted for a brief second, however.

"Besides, now that we have four people, we have even teams!" Emmett exclaimed, suddenly conjuring up a football. "Go long, Rosalie!"

I watched in horror as the football smacked right into her head, ruining her hair on one side. I've only known her for two hours, but I was already certain she was not going to take this well. She immediately dropped the entire make-up kit that was in her hand and she straightened up before turning to glare at Emmett with pure murder in her eyes.

She picked up the football from the floor and clutched it in her hand. She brought her arm back and threw it at Emmett with unbelievable precision. It hit him _exactly_ where it hurts. He doubled over with a grunt and Rosalie jumped at his back, sitting on him to keep him down while she pulled at his hair.

"Alice, we have to do something! All hell is breaking loose!" I said frantically.

"Must I remind you—time and time again—that I'm _tied to a chair_? What do you expect me to do?" Alice said through her teeth.

I rolled my eyes at her, but hurried to her side to start untying her nonetheless. Once I got closer I had to stifle a giggle as I saw the mess that Rosalie had made. Alice had huge, black ovals around both of her eyes. I wasn't about to tell her that, though. When she was released, she immediately stood up and started rubbing her wrists, checking for any signs of rope burn. When she was satisfied, she turned to one of the small coffee tables and flipped through of pile of envelopes.

"Alice! Now is _hardly_ the time to be checking the mail!"

She just rolled her eyes at me and continued flipping through them. Finally, she picked out something that looked suspiciously like a magazine and sat on the couch, getting comfortable. I looked at her in disbelief. I was about to ask her what she was doing when she spoke up.

"Oh my god! Rosalie, you _must _see this! This swimsuit would look _fabulous_ on you!" she exclaimed, an exaggerated expression of excitement on her face.

To my surprise, Rosalie immediately dropped Emmett's head causing his head to hit the floor with a loud _thud_. That would certainly leave a bruise…

"Where?" she asked eagerly, running over to sit next to Alice.

"Over there. The red bikini. Come to think of it, _everything_ would look fabulous on you," Alice replied, placating her.

Rosalie pretended to shrug indifferently as if the compliment meant nothing to her, but I could see the small smile on her lips. I was still completely shocked. That was way easier than I could've ever expected it to be. Not that I was complaining, of course.

"Alice, where's the first aid kit?" I asked after I regained my composure. Emmett sat up, rubbing his jaw where it hit the floor.

She looked up just long enough to address me before becoming engrossed in the shopping catalogue again. "The bottom drawer to your left."

I started walking toward the drawers when suddenly I tripped on the edge of the carpet. Not long after I felt my face meet with the floor, I heard a booming laughter. I craned my head from its position on the ground to see Emmett clutching his sides in laughter.

"Glad to see _he's_ feeling better," I muttered to myself, getting into an upright position.

"You know, Bella, there's no need to get the first aid kit. I'm feeling much better already," he said as he controlled his laughter, although he still had a big, goofy grin on his face.

"Speak for yourself," I said, but left the first aid kit in the drawer anyway.

"Are you sure you were meant to walk on two feet, Bella? Because after that display, I think you were better off on all fours!" Emmett said, cracking up all over again. I glared at him and Alice as she started laughing along with him.

"Can we be done with the Bella jokes already?" I groaned.

"Yeah, seriously. They got old a _long_ time ago," Rosalie said, rolling her eyes at Emmett.

"Fine," Emmett relented with a huff. Just as quickly as his mood deflated, it came back. "Oh! Let's go outside and play!"

"What would you like to play, Emmett?" I asked.

"Football!"

"In this outfit? No way!" Rosalie and Alice said at the exact same time, crossing their arms.

"C'mon, _please_!" Emmett whined. "Please, please, please!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Emmett, stop acting like such a _child_."

I raised an eyebrow, but otherwise said nothing at her statement.

"I have an idea!" Alice exclaimed. "How about Emmett and Bella go outside and play and Rosalie and I will stay indoors."

"What are you guys going to do indoors?" Emmett asked.

Rosalie held up the shopping catalogue without tearing her eyes from it.

"Okay, whatever. Works for me!" Emmett said, bending down to pick up the football from the floor. "You know, I've never understood why girls like shopping so much."

"Honestly, I don't know why either," I admitted.

"Wow! I think we're going to get along great!" Emmett laughed, running out the door with me in tow. Suddenly, he turned around and looked at Alice. "Oh, and Alice, the raccoon look suits you.

--

"Today went great, just as I expected!" Alice said, beaming at me as she skipped toward our room. I dragged my feet down the hallway, several paces behind her. Her cheeriness was getting on my nerves.

Once we got into our room, I immediately collapsed onto the couch, groaning as my muscles protested at the movement. "Ugh, I wish we'd brought an ice pack with us. I am going to be so sore tomorrow," I complained. "You're so lucky you didn't have to deal with Emmett today."

"I know what you mean, Bella," she said, sympathetically. "I've had to deal with both of them before. At the same time. _Alone_," she emphasized. "Seriously, you do not know how grateful I am to have you to help me now."

I smiled at her. "Thanks, Alice. I don't know what I would do without you either."

"Aha! You finally admitted it!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down while pointing at me.

I laughed at her enthusiasm. After a day like this, how could she still have so much energy? Then again, when did she _not _have energy? And I thought _yesterday_ was tiring. Speaking of yesterday…

"Hey, weren't you the one that reassured me that today wouldn't be that bad?" I accused, remembering her words from the day before.

"Trust me. It could've been _a lot _worse. You should just be thankful that they approve of you!"

"How do you know they approve of me?" I asked her, doubtfully.

"Well, for one thing, they didn't try to kill you," Alice said, shrugging.

"They _didn't_ try to kill me? Emmett dragged me outside in the blazing sun for hours! And do you even _know_ how many times I got hit by that football?" I glared.

Alice pretended to think. "Twenty-seven?"

I blanched. "Lucky guess," I muttered. "But seriously, Alice! I don't think my arms and legs will ever function properly after today."

"Don't be such a drama queen. You wouldn't be complaining if you knew what Emmett did to the former nannies! You should feel blessed," she said, waving her finger at me as if I were a child who needed a scolding.

"What _did_ he do?"

"I'd tell you—I really would—but I don't want to scare you off. Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, and—_of course—_Edward would never forgive me. Heck, I probably wouldn't even forgive myself! I think you might just be the best thing that's happened to this family since… well… _me_!"

I giggled and blushed. Her words meant so much to me. I couldn't believe that I'd only been here for two days. I already couldn't imagine leaving, which I knew I had to eventually. Suddenly, I realized something off about her sentence.

"Wait. Did you say Edward?" I asked in disbelief. And just like that, the moment was ruined.

"Sure," Alice said, pretending to be indifferent, but I could see her analyzing my reaction from the corner of her eyes.

"Why wouldn't Edward want me to leave?" I asked, confused. It wasn't like I'd been particularly pleasant to him during my stay. I would hardly call us friends. In fact, even 'acquaintances' was pushing it.

Alice just shook her head at me like a disappointed mother would when her she found her child sitting in his room with a tub of ice cream at his feet, only moments after he had promised to lay off on the sweets.

"Hey, are you hungry?" Alice asked suddenly, changing the subject completely.

"Not really," I replied honestly.

"Good because after lunch with Rosalie, I won't be able to eat for days," she joked.

I laughed. "Oh, right. I almost forgot about that. After all, running around for hours and getting pushed into mud has a way of making you forget you ever ate. So, anyway, is she always like that? Asking somebody to try every entrée and describe the taste in detail before deciding what she wants to eat?"

"Only at times like today, when we decide to try a new restaurant," Alice shrugged as if it were a completely normal thing to do.

I gaped at her. Was she serious?

"Hey, do you want to skip out on dinner tonight?"

"Sure," I replied, snapping out of my momentary shock. "But what are we going to do for the whole night?"

She paused to think for a minute. "Well, I don't know about you, but I could definitely use a dip in the hot tub, so how about it?"

"Sounds great! Oh, but wait, I didn't bring a swimsuit…" I trailed off.

She looked at me like I'd grown another head. "You came to work at a place by the beach and you didn't think to pack a swimsuit?"

"My thoughts aren't exactly centered on my clothes—unlike some people."

She gave me that same disappointed look, shaking her head again.

"Well, luckily for you, there are a lot of extra swimsuits in the pool house. You can just use one of those."

"Is it really okay to just use their stuff without their permission?" I asked, doubtfully. I already felt like I was sort of imposing. This was a little much…

"Of course, Bella. Don't be so self-conscious. What's theirs is yours," she said, trying to assure me.

"I'd feel a little more comfortable if Esme was telling this to me herself."

She dismissed the thought. "C'mon, Bella. I can promise you that Esme would tell you the same thing if you asked her for permission. Let's just go out to the backyard and relax in the hot tub. God knows we deserve it."

"Okay," I said, giving in. I didn't have much strength left to fight with her about this.

She bolted out the door and I tried to follow her, but apparently my sluggish pace wasn't fast enough for her because she ran back into the room, giving me an exasperated look before taking my hand and dragging me out the door. I'd never noticed before, but there was actually another set of stairs at the other end of the hall, by Edward's room. She led me down that flight of stairs and I was in an unfamiliar room. At the pace Alice was going, I didn't have much time to gauge my surroundings, but it looked like another sitting room. She pushed open a glass door and we both stepped outside.

Beautiful didn't even begin to describe the backyard. The moonlight seemed to illuminate the whole lawn. You could see the luminous reflection of the full moon in the enormous pool, a white hole amidst a dark setting. The hot tub was quite a bit smaller, but still generously large. There was a field of lush green grass surrounding an ancient gazebo, with many vines climbing up each post until they intertwined at the dome. The bordering fences were lined with trees. Between two trees that were unusually far apart, was a hammock. Hanging from one of tree's branches was a tire swing. Pushed up against a far corner was a rectangular building, which I assumed to be the pool house.

Alice pulled me inside the building and led me to a wardrobe. There were many different sets of bikinis hanging from clothes hangers. She picked a tiny, dark blue one with a tie around the neck and handed it to me.

"You want me to wear _this_?" I gaped at her.

"No, Bella, I want you to eat it—_Of course_ I want you to wear it!" Alice teased while picking out a nice black bikini for herself.

"I could never pull this off," I insisted, but she wouldn't have it. She just pushed me toward a door which led to a bathroom, complete with two sinks, a shower, and a small dressing room.

"You'll look great! Just you wait."

I reluctantly changed into what she'd given me. I used the dressing room while she changed just outside of it. I was grateful to be rid of my previous outfit, which was covered in a mixture of mud and sweat after my day.

"Done?" she inquired from the other side of the curtain.

I answered her by pulling the curtain back. She looked amazing in her bikini. I expected no less, though.

She squealed. "See? I told you it would look great!"

I tried to smile at her, but it probably came off as more of a grimace. Alice handed me a hair band and I put my hair up carelessly in a messy ponytail. The disapproval was rolling off of her in waves. I left the bathroom without glancing in the mirror. Alice skipped along beside me. I shivered when I stepped outside and into the cold.

A few minutes later, we were both standing in the darkness, facing the hot tub. There was a fair amount of steam rising into the air as the warm water met with the cool breeze of the evening. Alice pretty much jumped into the tub, while I carefully lowered myself. I sighed in contentment as the warm water soothed the tension that I hadn't completely realized had been built up over the long day.

"Mm… this feels nice," Alice sighed.

"Understatement of the year…" I breathed.

We both sat there in silence for a while, losing all sense of time, our heads thrown back and our eyes closed.

"Alice," I said suddenly, "I almost forgot. There have been some questions that I've been meaning to ask you."

She opened her eyes and turned to me curiously. "Go ahead and ask," she encouraged.

"Well…" I began hesitantly. "I don't know if I have any right to ask this, but earlier at breakfast, Esme mentioned that their father was coming back soon. So I've been wondering… where is he at the moment?"

"Oh, that's easy. The main branch of his company is located in L.A. so he spends most of his time there."

"He's not home often?" I frowned.

"Well, no," she said, but upon seeing the disapproval on my face she added, "But in his defense he tries his best to be home on all holidays and birthdays."

"That must be so hard on the family, though."

"At first, it was kind of hard on Emmett and Edward, as you can imagine. They lived with their father in L.A. most of their life and then suddenly he gets remarried. The three of them had to move across the country and live with a family they barely know. The three of them lived here together and got settled down for about a month and then their father had to make his return to L.A. They go out to visit him a lot when he can't be here, though. I suppose they've gotten used to not seeing him every day. He calls to check up on them whenever he has time, which is usually every other day.

"It was probably a lot easier for Rosalie and Jasper. After marrying Carlisle, Esme realized that she would need to spend more time at home. She was a very successful and well-known interior designer before she remarried. She quit her job for the most part, but she still works on a few projects in her spare time. For them—other than having to deal with two new step-brothers—life probably got better in some cases."

"How does Rosalie deal with having three brothers and no sisters anyway?" I wondered.

"I suppose in some ways it affected her and in others it didn't. For example, it's not like she lost her femininity. She's like most girls her age. She's nowhere near a tomboy of any sort, but living with so many brothers has taught her how to deal with crap," Alice explained.

"Hm, she does have her ways of dealing with 'crap,'" I agreed, remembering several points in the day where Rosalie had to… handle Emmett.

Alice laughed. "Yes, well, she can come on a little strong sometimes."

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, fine. I know she can come off as kind of… stuck-up and demanding? Maybe even vain, but she's really great when you get to know her. Like for example, she has a great eye for fashion and she knows how to stick up for her friends. Plus, she's really quite gorgeous, especially for a ten-year-old."

"Yeah, she's going to be a heart-breaker when she grows up." I nodded. "Speaking of growing up, have you noticed that she acts a little… unusually mature for her age?"

"She likes to believe she's an adult and expects people to treat her as one, but even she has her child moments. Like yesterday or even this morning."

"Speaking of this morning, what were Rosalie and Emmett talking about when they mentioned some kind of rule…?"

Alice looked confused for a moment before recognition flashed in her eyes. "Oh, that! The number one rule in this family is that you _cannot_—under any circumstances—snitch or tattle on another family member. That's one reason why I didn't elaborate on why we were almost late this morning or why Edward didn't explain his strange hair color."

"Oh," I mumbled, nodding my head in understanding. "That's sort of a silly rule."

Alice laughed. "Well, when it comes to this family, the rule is kind of necessary. If they did go to Esme for everything, they would all be grounded until the day they move out. Except for Jasper, of course. He usually tries to stay out of these kinds of things."

"Why does that not surprise me…? Speaking of Jasper, is there something you want to tell me?"

She bit her lip to try and hide her excitement at my question before she started gushing about him. "Jasper is absolutely perfect. He's sweet… and sensitive… and gorgeous… and he's so empathetic! He always knows how to cheer me up or how to calm me down. And he's gorgeous! He's just perfect… Did I mention he was gorgeous?"

"Once or twice," I laughed.

"I really wish he would just realize that we're meant to be together. I knew from the moment I saw him, but I guess he just doesn't see it… yet, of course," she continued matter-of-factly.

Her words could've come from a cocky fan girl telling all her friends that one day she'll be married to one of the hottest celebrities, but there was something about the way Alice said it that made the words completely different.

"I'm absolutely sure that he's what I've been looking for my whole life," Alice said so quietly that I had to wonder if she was still talking to me. I smiled at her. No doubt, I was happy for her.

Just then, a gust of wind blew, catching a few wisps of my hair that had escaped from my sloppy ponytail and blew them over my face. I raised my hand to brush the strands away when I realized just how wrinkled my fingertips were. There were like little raisins. How long had we been in the water?

The breeze tickled my wet hand causing me to shiver. "Alice, do you think we should head back inside now?"

She seemed to snap out of some kind of reverie. "Huh? Oh! Yeah, sure. It's getting late and we have work tomorrow as usual…"

I watched her suspiciously for a second. "Alice… everything's going to work out," I encouraged, hesitantly.

She turned her full attention to me and gave me a brilliant smile. She leaned over to give me a long hug. When she pulled back she whispered, "I know."

She stood up and pushed herself up, out of the tub. She held one of her hands out to me to help me up. I took her hand with one of mine and put my foot up against the side of the hot tub, getting ready to get out, when suddenly, I lost my footing and fell backwards into the water, dragging Alice with me.

I worked on standing up and by the time my head was out of the water, she was already standing up in the hot tub, clutching her sides and laughing. I started laughing at the absurdity of the situation too. There wasn't a trace of the solemn mood from not too long ago.

"Come on, let's go rinse off," Alice said as she laughed.

She got out of the hot tub again and offered me both of her hands this time. I waded over to the edge and she literally pulled me out of the water. She was really strong for somebody so small. We headed over to the pool house and took turns rinsing off in the shower quickly.

When we were both freshly showered and wrapped in our towels, I paused. "Wait, what are we going to wear back into our room?"

Alice thought for a second before saying, "Oh, I guess I forgot to get a change of clothes for both of us… Basically, we have two choices. We could either put on our clothes from earlier today or we could put on one of the spare bathing suits."

"I really don't want to change back into my clothes from before, especially not after I just showered. They're covered in mud and sweat." I grimaced. "But I don't want to walk into the house with just a bathing suit on! What if somebody sees us?"

"You could just wrap yourself in the towel if it bothers you that much. Besides, we're going straight to our bedroom and we'll be changing into our sleeping attire the moment we get there," Alice reasoned, "Chances are, nobody will even see you!"

I supposed she did have a point, so I headed over to the wardrobe that held the bathing suits, but she beat me to it, opening the doors while I waited behind her.

"Or—better yet—chances are _Edward _will see you!" she said as she grabbed something off one of the clothes hangers and held it up for me to see. She must've seen an argument coming on because she started pouting. I gave up with a sigh, taking it from her. She squealed in excitement and grabbed something green for herself, dancing back into the bathroom.

I went into the dressing room just as I had before and I let my towel drop after closing the curtains. I took a closer look at what she had given me. It was worse than I thought. It was the same color as the bikini I was using before, but this one was strapless and even smaller than my previous one. Five minutes ago, I wouldn't have imagined it possible. Then again, that's Alice for you.

As we made our way back inside, I clutched the towel around my waist self-consciously. Luckily for us, not as many people walked around the back of the house at this hour, so we didn't bump into anyone. As we were walking down the hall, I couldn't help but glance back at Edward's door. I felt a little disappointed and a little relieved that his door was closed.

Alice—being Alice—didn't miss my diverted attention and gave me a knowing smile. I rolled my eyes at her, trying to play it off as nothing, but I don't think it fooled her. How could she be so convinced that I liked him when I wasn't even sure of it myself? If there were even any feelings here, it'd just be physical attraction anyway. Big deal.

I continue trailing a few steps behind Alice as we continue making our way down the deserted hallway. When we reach our door, she turns around to say, "See, Bella? I told you there was a good chance that nobody would see us!"

Then, Alice turned the doorknob and pushed open our bedroom door. Suddenly, I saw her freeze, one foot mid-step, halfway into the room.

I opened my mouth, about to ask her what was wrong when I looked over her shoulder and saw it for myself.

* * *

**Okay, guys, I hope you liked it! So in this chapter, you have a brief encounter with a pink-haired Edward, Alice and Bella **_**hard**_** at work, Emmett and Rosalie doing what they do best (which in this case would be torturing the nannies), some insight on the Jasper and Alice relationship, and some roommate bonding! What did you guys think? **

**In case you're wondering… No, I haven't forgotten about the 'war.' In fact, I have a very strong feeling that you'll all **_**love**_** this next chapter—for a number of different reasons, of course. I realize I'm probably putting a lot of expectations on the next chapter, so I'll do my best not to disappoint!**

**I just happen to be posting this on my birthday! I'm officially younger-than-you-might-think-I-am! :D Oddly enough, I don't mind taking time to edit and post this story on my birthday. One reason is because this story has become one of my joys, thanks to all of you wonderful readers and reviewers. And another reason is because I celebrated it two days ago. Haha! (:**

**Anyway, my offer still stands! Review and I'll send you a quote from Chapter 8 ASAP! Please, please review! If not for the quote, then just for the purpose of putting a smile on my face !(:**


	8. Affinity

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**Okay, guys. Fan Fiction was being a little difficult last chapter, so unfortunately, I didn't get as many reviews as usual. ): But… Here's the next chapter!**

_**Thank you, thank you, and thank you**_** to all who reviewed! And an extra thank you to all who wished me a happy birthday! (: Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

_Then, Alice turned the doorknob and pushed open our bedroom door. Suddenly, I saw her freeze, one foot mid-step, halfway into the room. _

_I opened my mouth, about to ask her what was wrong when I looked over her shoulder and saw it for myself__._

* * *

**Affinity**

My mouth dropped open. I couldn't seem to form words. Even if I had been able to, however, they wouldn't have been heard over Alice's furious screams.

"I swear. He is _dead_!" she shrieked after she finished her incoherent screaming.

Our entire room was empty. All that was left were thick, red lines painted into the carpet to resemble the outline of all the furniture that _used to be_ in there. Even our beds were missing! The closet door was ajar, allowing us to see that it, too, was completely vacant.

I started taking long, angry strides toward Edward's bedroom door. Alice was only a half step behind me. I threw open the door without caring enough to knock. Just when I was going to tell him off, my words got stuck in my throat at the sight before me.

Edward was standing with his back towards us with only a towel around his waist, his hair dripping wet and back to its regular bronze color. There were drops of water sliding smoothly down his perfect chest. He was rifling through his drawers looking for something to wear. His grip started loosening on his towel…

"_Edward_!" Alice's yell snapped me out of the shameless ogling. Edward jumped a foot high and spun around in surprise.

"_Alice_? What are you doing here?" he asked in shock. His eyes flashed to mine and then his gaze dropped as he looked at the state of my clothes. I blushed and tightened my own towel around myself.

_It's only physical attraction… _I thought to myself.

"_You guys_! Stop undressing each other with your eyes!" Alice demanded, making me blush even harder.

"Thanks, Alice," I mumbled bitterly, though she didn't hear me.

"Right, so, um… What brings you here again? I was kind of in the middle of dressing," Edward inquired, his face much too innocent.

With some effort, I forced myself to glare at him and act as though the sight of him didn't make me breathless. "You know _very_ well what! You completely emptied our room!"

Edward dropped the innocent act immediately. "Well, _you_ turned my hair _pink_! I was scrubbing my hair for an hour!"

"Edward, give us our stuff _now_! We have nothing to change into and nowhere to sleep!" Alice said. Her glare was much more terrifying than mine.

"That's _hardly_ my problem!"

"_Hell_ it is!" I screamed at him.

"You're the one that started this whole ridiculous thing!"

"I beg to differ!"

"Who's the one who put pink hair dye in my shampoo?"

"Who's the one who acted like a—?"

"_Stop it_!" Alice screamed at a volume I wouldn't have thought possible. Edward and I both froze. I hadn't noticed, but at every comment we both unconsciously took a step closer. We were only about a foot apart from each other now. I took a step back, blushing about twenty different shades of red at our sudden proximity.

"Just tell us where all of our stuff is for goodness sakes!" Alice continued, angrily.

"Why should I?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, real mature, Edward… Where do you expect us to sleep?" Alice hissed.

"I don't know! Go jump in bed with Jasper or something!" Edward cried, sarcastically.

"Fine," she shrugged. I looked at her in disbelief. "And Bella can sleep here with you!"

"_What_?" I cried, but Alice was already skipping out of the room. I grabbed her arm.

"Very funny, Alice. Nice try, but _we_ aren't going anywhere until you tell us where our stuff is!"

"Alright, have it your way. Your stuff is parked in a truck down the street," he said nonchalantly. "Now leave."

His sudden cold tone surprised me. For some reason, it hurt a lot more than when he was yelling at me.

"_Hilarious_, Edward," Alice sneered. I doubt she even noticed the change in his tone. "Now seriously, give us our stuff back!"

"I'm dead serious. Go drive down there and get it yourself," he said, turning away from us and focusing his attention on what he was going to wear for the night, instead.

Sensing that this conversation was over, I grabbed Alice arm and tugged her out of the room, having more difficulty than I expected I would due to the fact that she was still so angry.

"Ugh! The things I wish I could do to that boy," Alice hissed as we walked down the hall. "I swear if I had a flamethrower…"

_There are a few things I wish I could do to him too_, I thought, tuning Alice out completely. I immediately blushed, however, due to the fact that not all of those things were exactly forms of torture. I mentally pinched myself, telling myself to get my head out of the clouds. As it turns out, I actually _had _pinched myself.

"Ow!" I protested.

Alice stopped mid-rant to look at me strangely. Not having an appropriate excuse as to why I was suddenly in pain, I just smiled at her apologetically. By then, we were by the front door, so Alice didn't question me. I paused once we had stepped outside, shivering when I felt the cold against my bare skin.

"Alice, are we seriously going to go looking for some truck in the dead of night _in bathing suits_?" I asked her incredulously.

"Well, we don't exactly have much of a choice, now do we?"

I had nothing to say to that. She led me over to her Porsche and I got in after her.

When we were both seated and she was starting the car, she asked, "Okay, so which way did he say the truck was?" She seemed to have calmed down a bit.

"He _didn't _say," I muttered.

For a moment she just sat there in her seat, dumbfounded. Then, to my utter surprise, she grabbed hold of the steering wheel and knocked her head into it repeatedly, shrieking a colorful string of profanities as loud as she possibly could. Her screams shook the car, rebounding across the walls. I put my hands over my ears instinctively, her yells becoming muffled and slightly more distant. From the corner of my eye, I could see the poor, unsuspecting watchman at the gate awakening with a jolt at the sudden noise, wildly flashing his flashlight around, still half asleep.

When she was done, she lifted her head and started the car as if nothing happened. Part of me wanted to lay a comforting hand on her back to show her that she wasn't alone in this mess, but there was a bigger part of me that was much too scared to touch her at a moment like this.

She started driving. Once she got past the gate, she made a right turn.

It didn't take long for us to find a large moving truck pulled up along the sidewalk. Alice parallel parked behind it.

"Something tells me this isn't going to be easy," I heard her murmur.

I followed her out of the car and was right behind her as she walked up to the driver seat window. I could barely make out the outline of a red trucker hat hovering above the edge of the window. By the uncomfortable angle the driver's head was tilted, I assumed he was sleeping. Alice extended the entire length of her arm to knock on the window.

There was no response, only the stillness of the night. Alice tapped her foot impatiently.

"_Hey_!" she yelled, while she rapped on the window again with more force than I thought was necessary.

The truck driver seemed to wake up from his deep sleep. He looked around frantically, seeming rather frightened. At the height that he was at, he saw right through the space above our heads.

"Down here!" Alice informed him, waving her hands up and down.

He leaned over to the window and lowered it all the way.

"What do you want?" he grumbled groggily, his voice rough. After glancing our way, he did a double-take. It was probably due to the fact that we were still in our bathing suits. Now that I could see him more clearly, I saw that he was wearing a plain white T-shirt with a horrible grease stain just below the collar.

"We want our stuff back, _duh_. Why else would we be knocking at the window of a truck filled with stolen furniture at the dead of night?" Alice replied, skipping the pleasantries.

"Well, you'd be surprised at how many girls want some of the L-man," he chuckled. As he laughed, his protruding belly bounced up and down. He looked as though he had been eating fast food for ever meal of the day for the last thirty years.

"Hey, Dave, there are two lovely ladies here, begging for our _services_," the man chortled, leaning over to somebody in the passenger seat and shaking him until he was awake.

Alice and I exchanged a disgusted glance and a shudder at the double meaning in his words.

From what I could see, the guy in the passenger seat was _nothing_ like his partner. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and he had a set of toned muscles along with a great tan. After he gathered his surroundings, he glanced at Alice and me and shrugged apologetically for his partner's behavior.

Alice and I shared an approving glance at the new addition to this mess. Alice got straight back to business, however, not letting the cute, new guy distract her.

"As I was saying, we need the furniture loaded up in this truck back, so if you could so kindly drive back to the Cullen manor and help us move the furniture back where you got it, we would greatly appreciate that," Alice said, much more sweetly than she had before.

"Sorry, but we have very specific orders from a Mr. Edward Cullen to keep everything in this truck," the old, greasy guy explained rather smugly.

Alice dropped the sweet façade immediately, her expression suddenly becoming murderous. She began in a soft, deadly voice, "I don't care if it was your mother's dying wish. _Give us our stuff back._"

I saw the poor man pale drastically. "R-right away, ma'am," he stuttered.

Alice smiled victoriously and then skipped back to her car. I followed her into the car, a little frightened myself. I would have to remember never to go against her…

She started her car and proceeded to drive back to the Cullen household, never once doubting that the truck would be following. I didn't have as much certainty as she did. Every now and then I would glance back to make sure that the truck wasn't taking off in the opposite direction with all of our stuff. Sure enough, the truck was still following us, close on our tail.

A few of hours later, the two of them were moving in the last of the stuff. I was about ready to sleep on the floor if I had to, but Alice was as energetic as a jumping bean.

"Oh, and move the couch closer to that wall over there. Yeah, that's it!" Alice directed.

Our stuff had been moved into our room a while ago, but Alice decided to 'seize the opportunity' and remodel our entire room. I tried to talk her out of it, but as usual, she couldn't be convinced otherwise.

I'd told her, "Alice, the room looks fine as it is. This is completely unnecessary."

"Bella, you've only been here for two days. However, _I've _been here for almost a year. This room is getting kind of old," Alice had argued.

I still thought that she was being ridiculous. I'd lived in my old bedroom back at home for years without remodeling it and I'd lived just fine.

Eventually, they were getting ready to leave. Before they left, however, Alice grabbed me by the arm and danced over to Dave.

"Hey… Dave, is it?" Alice inquired 'innocently.'

He turned, setting down the last of it, and smiled brilliantly at her. "Yeah, listen, I'm sorry for my uncle's behavior. He just can't help it sometimes."

"Don't worry. We won't hold a grudge," Alice said, flirting shamelessly. "I'm Alice, by the way, and this beauty would be Bella."

"Nice to meet you," Dave smiled, showing off his perfect white teeth, and turned to me with his hand out.

"Likewise," I replied, shaking his hand politely.

"So, anyway," Alice continued, "you really did us a huge favor tonight."

I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at her in suspicion. She was definitely up to something.

"It was my pleasure," Dave answered, not knowing what he was up against.

"I _really_ think we should thank you somehow," Alice insisted, flirtatiously. I could see that Dave was about to protest, but Alice cut him off before he could get a single word in. "So here's our number. Don't hesitate to call."

Dave's smile widened as Alice pulled out a pen and neatly scribbled a number on the back of his hand in a shimmering pink color.

"I won't," he promised.

Then, he and his uncle walked out of the room. With one last wave, and a wink—which was directed towards me, surprisingly—Dave was gone.

I turned to Alice immediately after they were both gone.

"Alice! What were you doing? I thought you liked Jasper!" I scolded.

She just rolled her eyes at me. "I do like Jasper!" she assured me. "I wasn't ever planning to go out with Dave, although, he's totally cute. Don't you think so?"

"Well, yeah, but you can't just lead him on like that! And I really don't understand the point of giving him your number just to tell him that you're unavailable."

"I didn't give him my number," Alice said simply. I stared at her in confusion. She looked away and quickly explained, "I gave him yours."

"You _what?_"

She smiled sheepishly at me.

"I… you… but… _ugh_!" I sputtered. When I was confident I could open my mouth and not sound like a babbling idiot, I started interrogating her. "How did you get my number anyway?"

"I got it while we were unpacking. Your phone was in one of the front pockets of your luggage. I entered my number in there too while I was at it."

I shook my head at her. Dave was cute and he seemed sweet, but I wasn't interested in going out with him.

"Alice, I didn't come here for some kind of summer fling."

"Live a little, Bella," Alice said, rolling her eyes at me.

"Can we just go to sleep?" I asked, dropping the subject. I figured that he probably wouldn't call, so there was no reason to argue about something that was a moot point anyway. "It's getting really late and we still have to work tomorrow."

As if on cue, I yawned hugely.

"You're right. We better go change out of these bathing suits," Alice agreed, easily.

I could barely hold my eyes open while I was changing. If I thought I was tired now, how was I going to feel in the morning?

--

"Bella…"

I groaned at the sound of my name being called. There was no way it could be time to get up already. Oddly enough, I felt even more tired than I had yesterday night—or technically, earlier today.

"Bella!" Alice's ever-persistent voice nagged.

I opened an eye and sure enough, there was a stream of sunlight dancing into the room from the window. I rolled over, hiding my face in my pillow to block out the sunlight. Out of sight, out of mind.

"What time is it?" My voice was muffled by my pillow.

"Seven fifty! Which means you only have ten minutes to get showered and dressed!"

That certainly got me up. I shot out of bed and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door closed behind me. I took one of the quickest showers I'd ever taken in my life and had my teeth brushed. Alice threw me a set of clothes the second she heard the water shut off and I put them on hastily without really looking them. I was out of the bathroom with two minutes to spare. That had to be a new personal record.

There wasn't a second to spare for me to think about how tired I was or how little sleep I had gotten. At least the shower had me woken up temporarily.

Alice was checking her outfit in the mirror when I came outside. Upon hearing my arrival, she spun around and we both ran down the stairs. Fortunately, there was no time to waste on a makeover this morning, although the heels that Alice handed me were very uncomfortable for running down stairs. In fact, they were very uncomfortable _period_.

Once again, we found ourselves stumbling into the dining room with only seconds to spare. It appeared as though we interrupted a conversation between the Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme. When we made our entrance, the three of them leaned back further in their seats and turned to us as if nothing had been going on.

I turned to Alice and questioned her with my eyes, but she just shrugged and proceeded to walk towards her seat. I followed her, taking the same seat that I had taken yesterday.

"Good morning, Esme. Good morning, Rosalie, Emmett," I recited politely, nodding at each of them as if I wasn't about to die of exhaustion.

"Good morning, Bella. Good morning, Alice," Esme smiled warmly at each of us.

I collapsed in my chair and saw Alice do the same. She waved casually, her movements slow and weary. I saw her eyes begin to droop close. Much to my dismay, my eyes began to droop as well. They were so heavy; they might as well have been made of lead.

We were momentarily saved from having to keep up a conversation with everyone because at that moment, Jasper walked in with Edward not very far behind him. Emmett seemed a little disappointed that Edward's hair was back to normal.

"Jasper, Edward! It's nice to see the two of you this morning. Are you joining us again, Edward? That's unusual. To what do we owe this pleasure?" Esme said, looking pleased with the sudden change.

"Yes, _Mr. High and Mighty_, why have you graced us with your presence this fine morning?" Rosalie mumbled, sarcastically.

If I hadn't been so tired, I might've laughed. Edward made no move to comment as he and Jasper sat down. Although, I could've sworn that he flushed a little at the question.

Before I could confirm anything, I yawned, tears springing into my eyes and blurring my vision temporarily. Apparently, my yawn was contagious because Alice began to yawn as well. Alice put her elbow on the table and propped her head up on her arm, her eyes drifting close. I felt my head becoming limp and I had to make an effort to keep from falling face-first into my breakfast.

"You two seem rather tired today," Esme noted, curiously.

"We had a long night," Alice admitted, rubbing her eyes as if she was trying to rub the sleep away.

"I saw these two strange men leaving the house at almost four o' clock last night," Emmett commented.

I knew what that sounded like, but before I could explain, Esme was already scolding us.

"Alice, Bella," she began, her tone very disapproving. "I realize you both are very young and you may very well have active relationships, but I don't want either of you inviting any _friends_ over here, and especially not at night. It's hardly appropriate and I won't tolerate that under my roof."

I didn't miss that Edward and Jasper both tensed up simultaneously.

Not wanting to interrupt, I waited until she was finished speaking before I began to defend Alice and myself. "Esme, we weren't—"

"—aware that it wasn't allowed. We've never touched upon those details before. I can promise you it won't happen again," Alice interjected smoothly, shooting me a 'shut up and I'll explain later' look.

Edward and Jasper's mouths fell open in surprise. Jasper got a pleading look on his face, like he was begging Alice to tell him that it wasn't true. Alice purposely ignored him.

"That's all I ask," Esme said, her tone softening immediately.

I was touched by how forgiving she was—although there was nothing to forgive in actuality. She really was an amazing mother.

"So, I noticed you two didn't join us for dinner last night. Why is that?" Esme inquired.

"We had a rather large lunch that afternoon and we weren't hungry. We decided to go for a dip in the hot tub instead. I hope you don't mind, Esme," I explained.

"Nonsense, of course I don't mind. You can use whatever you'd like during your stay here," Esme replied kindly. "I already feel as though you are part of the family."

"Thank you. That's very kind of you."

"It's the least we can do. You're being a huge help to all of us by watching after Rosalie and Emmett. I hope they didn't cause too much trouble yesterday."

"They were perfect angels," I told Esme. It wasn't entirely true, but according to Alice, it could've been worse and apparently, they liked me. Therefore, I didn't want to give them a reason to hate me. Who knows what they would do?

"Really? Well, that's a pleasant surprise. I must say, you certainly bring out the best in everybody, Bella," Esme said. She wasn't looking at me, though. She was staring straight at Edward with a smile on her face. Edward just continued picking at his food, refusing to look up.

"Anyway," Esme continued, looking away from Edward as she addressed Alice and me, "I have to go soon. I'm meeting with the Newtons for brunch."

It was then that I noticed that Esme hadn't so much as touched her food.

"The _Newtons_? Mom, we hate them, remember?" Emmett whined.

"Emmett! Don't say such a thing. The Newtons are fine people," Esme reprimanded. "As I was saying, I'll be back earlier than I did yesterday. Rosalie has a slumber party to go to, so I need you two to help her pack up all her stuff and make sure she doesn't forget anything."

"Mother, I can pack by myself," Rosalie informed her, rolling her eyes.

"And Emmett has a football game to go to. Our driver will pick them up at 3 o' clock sharp, so make sure that they aren't late. I'll need them to be waiting outside the front gate before I get there. It'll save us some time," she continued, ignoring Rosalie's comment entirely.

"You're coming to watch me aren't you," Emmett asked her with wide eyes.

"Of course, Emmett," she responded, smiling at him. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Yippee!" Emmett cheered, pumping his fist in the air.

"A football game during the summer?" I wondered aloud. "Hasn't the school year ended, though?"

"Yes, but this isn't a school sponsored thing, so his football team plays year round," Esme explained.

I nodded in understanding.

"Mom, don't forget we're going to have an after-party after the game so that we can celebrate our win," Emmett reminded, confidently.

Esme laughed. "Of course, Emmett."

Suddenly, a butler walked into the room with a wireless telephone in one of his hands while the other covered the mouthpiece. "Mrs. Cullen, I'm sorry to bother you, but there is a phone call for you from the Newtons. Should I tell Mrs. Newton that you cannot come to the phone at this moment?"

"Ew, the _Newtons_!" Emmett complained, sticking his tongue out at the phone. Esme sent him a reproachful glance before returning her attention to the butler.

"No, no. I'll take the call now, thank you," Esme said, standing up and taking the phone from his hand. She walked a fair distance away from the table before she began talking to Mrs. Newton. I guessed that it was so that she didn't hear any of the nasty comments Emmett was bound to say if he overheard their conversation.

There was an awkward silence that filled the atmosphere without Esme to keep the conversation going. I focused my full attention on the breakfast in front of me to avoid looking at Edward. The last thing I needed was to get lost in those striking eyes of his…

Mercifully, Esme finished up her conversation rather quickly. She ended the call and handed the phone back to the butler, who walked out of the room to return the phone to its rightful post. "That was Mrs. Newton, children. It appears I need to get going. Alice, Bella, you two can have the majority of the day off after I pick up Emmett and Rosalie at 3. All I need you to do after that is put Emmett to bed at 10 o' clock. Oh, and before I forget, tomorrow I'll be leaving very early in the morning, so I probably won't see you. Jeffrey, the butler that came in just a second ago, will tell you tomorrow's schedule," she told us as she grabbed her coat from a coat rack in the far corner. "Bye, kids! _Behave_."

Goodbyes were exchanged and then Esme walked hastily out the door. When she was out of hearing range, I turned to Alice.

"Hey, Alice?"

She looked up at me.

"How come Esme gives us so many nights off? Is she always this kind to the help?" I asked.

She laughed at my naivety. "Of course not! She usually does that in the beginning, so that she can have more time to interrogate Emmett and Rosalie to make sure we're doing a good job."

I bit my lip nervously as I thought about what Emmett and Rosalie were going to say. It didn't help that Emmett and Rosalie exchanged a brief glance and turned away from each other with identical smirks on their faces.

Jasper seemed to sense my nervousness. "Don't worry, Bella. Esme's very kind and understand and I'm sure you've given her no reason to fire you, so you have no reason to worry," he assured me.

At his words I relaxed immediately. It felt like a wave of calm had suddenly washed over me.

"What are we doing just sitting here? Let's play!" Emmett yelled suddenly, jumping up onto the dining table and managing to kick over his glass of orange juice in the process. The glass knocked over the glass of water next to it, causing water to spill all over Rosalie's plate of unfinished food.

_Well, the calm was nice while it lasted_, I thought to myself, sullenly.

"Emmett, you idiot, get off the table!" Rosalie seethed.

"Make me," Emmett taunted, turning around and bending over to shake his behind in Rosalie's face. Then, he started singing show tunes at the top of his lungs.

Rosalie slammed her hands on the table furiously before getting up and stomping over to the head of the table where Esme had been previously sitting. She grabbed the edge of the table cloth, her teeth clenched in anger. I opened my mouth and held up a cautioning hand to stop her, but I was too late. Before I could get a word out, she had already pulled the table cloth with more force than I thought possible.

The cloth slid out from under Emmett's feet, causing him to lose his balance and fall with a loud 'oomph' as he hit the floor. It continued its rampage as it overturned all the dishes, glasses, silverware, and the five centerpieces that used to be spread out along the long, rectangular table. I cringed as most of the lot fell to the floor with a huge crash. The dishes that hadn't been dragged far enough were scattered along the middle of the table in an enormous, colorful mess.

Emmett jumped up from his place on the floor and began to take in the situation. "Wow…" he mumbled. "_Awesome_!"

I slapped a hand over my eyes. It was much too painful to watch.

"Wait, Rosalie, don't move!" Emmett exclaimed suddenly.

At first I expected it to be another one of his gags, but then I took my hand away from my eyes and realized that Rosalie was still standing at the head of the table, but now I saw that she was bare foot and had thousands of tiny, glass shards surrounding her on all sides.

Edward, Jasper, and Alice seemed to grasp this at the same moment that I did. We all jumped up to help, but Emmett was two steps ahead of all of us. He was already walking towards her with strong, deliberate strides.

I was about to tell him to stop when I realized that he was wearing a pair of thick, pink bunny slippers—possibly more pink than Edward's hair had been a day ago.

He stopped in front of Rosalie and paused for a moment. Then, he grabbed her by her legs and slung her over his shoulder.

"Emmett, what the—! Put me down," Rosalie shrieked from her upside-down position.

He carried her safely over to her original seat. Then, he gently flipped her over and set her down in one swift movement. Everybody stared at him, dumbfounded for a good five seconds. Rosalie staggered a little as she regained her footing. When she had her balance again, she turned to Emmett, who was beaming proudly at her, with an awed expression of her own.

He scoffed smugly. "And you said these pink bunny slippers were dumb."

--

"Bye! Have fun!" Alice called out to Rosalie and Emmett, who were already in the limousine, backing out of the driveway. I waved along with her. Esme gave us a parting smile before the limo started its way down the road.

Once they were out of sight, Alice whipped out her phone and started dialing numbers rapidly.

"Alice, what are you doing?" I asked, suspiciously.

She held up a finger towards me to motion me to wait.

"Hello, Leo? … Hi, this is Alice! … Yeah … I was wondering if you could come on over … Yeah, no later than 3 hours from now … No, it'll only take a second … Okay, thank you! … See you soon!" she said, snapping the phone shut.

"Come on, Bella! We have stuff to do!" Alice called out to me as she danced over to her car.

"_Alice_," I whined. "Can't we just spend the day here? Sleeping, maybe?"

She sighed. "This is _better_ than sleeping!"

"At this point, _nothing _sounds better than sleeping."

"Not even getting back at Edward?"

"I'm in!" I called, running over to the passenger side of her car and getting in.

She got in as well, laughing. "That's the spirit!"

--

Esme and Emmett still hadn't come home. The butler had told us an hour ago that they called and said that Emmett's team had indeed won the game and they were going out to celebrate. They should be home any second now, though.

Alice had dragged me to buy a bucket of purple paint and a couple of rubber bands. When I asked her what she was doing she just told me that she was putting her original plan into action. She wouldn't tell me more than that, so I guess I just had to wait and find out for myself.

Now, Alice and I were standing in Edward's bathroom at six o' clock in the evening while the plumber that Alice had called earlier was working under the sink. When he came in, his overalls were already covered in grime.

"Alright, now hand me the bucket of paint," the plumber instructed.

Alice skipped over there with the bucket of paint in one hand. The plumber placed it somewhere under the sink and then started fixing a few more things. He was so huge I couldn't see what was going on in front of him. I probably wouldn't have understood even if I could see, though.

Alice pulled her phone out suddenly and flipped it open. "I just got a text from Jasper. He says that he's driving home right now with Edward! That means we only have twenty minutes until they get home!" she gasped, pulling on my arm frantically as if she expected me to stop time or something.

"You brought Jasper into this too now?" I asked her in disbelief.

"How else was I supposed to make sure Edward stays out long enough? Although, Jasper didn't do too hot of a job considering we might not even have enough time to finish!" she accused, tapping her foot impatiently while she pierced holes into the plumber's back, willing him to speed it up a little.

Luckily, the plumber stood up at that moment and said, "Alright. That should do it."

"Thanks, Leo! I can always count on you," Alice squealed, all worry disappearing. She handed him a wad of cash, which he gladly took.

"Always happy to be of service," he replied, his eyes glued to the money.

He left the room and Alice turned to me with a huge grin on her face. Honestly, I was a little scared.

"Well?" she asked me, looking expectant. When I just stared at her, uncomprehending, she motioned towards the sink. "Aren't you going to try it out?"

I glared at her warily before stepping up to the sink. I flipped one of the switches. Thick, purple paint flowed through the faucet. I turned to her doubtfully after I turned the faucet off again.

"How is this going to fool him, Alice? When purple stuff comes out of your sink, you're bound to know something's wrong."

She sighed at me. Then, she walked over to the sink and placed a rubber band around the rim, twisting it so it was a tighter fit.

"There!" she said, looking pleased.

"What's that supposed to do?" I asked, still confused.

"You'll see," she sang. "Okay, what I need you to wait out of sight in the shower over there with this camcorder. If you don't want to be covered in paint, close the glass door behind you. I'm going to make sure that Emmett's home. We're going to need him to smear chocolate pudding over one of Edward's hands so that he comes in here to wash it off."

I nodded. She handed me a camcorder, which was no doubt very expensive, and started walking out the door, but then paused and turned to me again.

"Oh, and keep recording at _all_ times. We don't want to miss a second of it," she added, smiling at me mischievously. I had a feeling she knew something I didn't, but I decided it might be better to not question her.

I wasn't sure how long she was gone, but out of nowhere, she ran back into the bathroom. She threw a wet sponge at me head.

"Hey!" I protested.

"Use that to get rid of all traces of paint in the sink," she told me, throwing me a dry towel too.

"_Hurry_! We only have about five minutes before he comes up here!" she said when I made no move to do anything.

Then, she ran out of the room once again. I scrubbed furiously at the sink, trying to get off all the signs of paint before it dried. When I was confident it wasn't terribly noticeable, I threw the sponge and towel into the trashcan, both covered in purple.

I froze when I heard a door open. I grabbed the camcorder from the counter and jumped into the shower, closing the glass door behind me. The glass was slightly frosted, but it would have to do.

I heard him shuffling around in his bedroom. Then, I distinctly heard a second pair of footsteps entering the room. I could imagine Emmett walking in there with an innocent expression on his face and his hands behind his back.

"Hey, Edward," I heard Emmett say, trying to sound casual.

"Hey, Emmett," I heard Edward say. He sounded kind of distracted.

"I have a surprise for you!" Emmett said.

"What kind of surprise?" Edward asked warily.

"Why don't you close your eyes, hold out one hand, and find out?"

There was a moment of silence, so I suspected that Edward did as he was told.

"Emmett! What the—" Edward yelled.

I heard Emmett's footsteps as he ran out of the room. Edward muttered curses under his breath. The curses got louder as he got closer to the bathroom. I held my breath.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as he walked to the sink and flicked the faucet on. Purple paint spewed from the faucet flying in all directions, rather than coming out in a steady stream like it had before.

Edward reflexively cringed away from the assault. I couldn't help but start cracking up over the sight of Edward covered in purple paint. Unfortunately, my laughing tipped him off to my presence. He turned around to look at me accusingly.

Suddenly, he got a mischievous smirk on his face. He opened the shower door and pulled me out by my arm. Then, he pushed me toward the sink, using me as some kind of human shield. I shrieked through my giggles and raised both of my hands over my face to shield myself, accidentally dropping the camcorder in the process.

We wrestled with each other for a while, each trying to hide behind the other, before I gave up and ran towards the shower again, taking cover. Edward was right behind me. He shut the door after himself and we both collapsed onto the tile floor, exhausted. In the confined space, it was a pretty tight fit. If the shower was any smaller, we'd almost be pressed up against each other.

I threw my head back and laughed at our predicament and the outrageous way we looked. Edward joined in my laughter, his soft melodic laugh accompanying mine and blending it into a song.

Soon enough, our laughter died down and was replaced with a whole different mood. Edward stared at me with an expression that I didn't quite recognize. Then, he raised his one, clean hand to wipe a blob of paint from my cheekbone, but he only succeeded in smearing it.

I smiled at him and he smiled back at me with that stunning, crooked smile. Then suddenly, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. I froze for a second before kissing him back tentatively.

All too soon, he pulled back with a sheepish expression.

"Sorry, that was out of line," he apologized.

I wanted to tell him that he didn't have to be sorry, but I couldn't find the words, so instead I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me for another kiss. I had no idea what came over me, but he happily complied anyway.

When we pulled away, we were both out of breath.

"Does this mean you forfeit?" I joked as I caught my breath.

He chuckled. "If I'd known that this was what forfeiting entailed, I would've forfeited a long time ago."

His words made my heart flutter. "Truce?" I offered.

"Truce," he agreed, sticking one of his hands out for me to take.

As if on cue, the sink sputtered to a stop at our agreement.

I took his hand without looking away from his amazing eyes. I gasped when I felt a cool coat of pudding on his hands. That's when I remembered that Emmett had thrown pudding over one of his hands in order to lure him in here.

"Ew!" I squealed playfully, trying to pull my hand away. But before I could get my hand out of his grasp, he tightened his grip and pulled me on top of him, his lips locking with mine, moving in complete harmony.

In that instant, there in his arms, I was in heaven.

However, somewhere in the back of my mind I could hear catcalls. That was strange. Weren't you supposed to hear fireworks? Or something of the sort…

Suddenly, there were tons of icy cold, wet pellets soaking me from head to toe. I pulled away from Edward with a gasp. I turned my attention to the little audience gathered around the shower. Our little gathering consisted of Jasper, who looked like he was fighting hard to keep from laughing; Emmett, who was—no doubt—the source of the catcalls; and Alice, who was—no doubt—the source of the… wet.

Alice beamed knowingly at me. She leaned in towards the shower and, with a click, turned the water off again. It was much too late, though. I was already completely soaked, as was Edward.

I noticed, to my deep embarrassment, that Alice had the camcorder, which I'd dropped in my haste, in her hand and was recording every second of this moment.

At this point, I probably looked like a drowned cat. I turned to look at Edward and gauge his reaction, only to discover that he was looking solely at me, as if I were a goddess from one of his wildest dreams, with a soft smile that said it all.

My mouth twisted into a smile on its own accord. But there were still so many unanswered questions running wildly through my head. One of the most important ones: Where did this leave us?

* * *

**Another chapter done! I'm starting school tomorrow, so I wanted to get this out before then. I really hope that you guys like it because I was kind of stressing over getting this done, so it's a little messy in places. I've been a little indecisive lately, so I kept changing things. **

**The basic idea of Edward stealing all of Alice and Bella's furniture and leaving a chalk outline of the décor belongs to **_**You-Dazzle-Me-1901**_**. I merely expatiated and modified it to fit my storyline.**

**There were other wonderful ideas submitted, but I didn't want to drag the whole 'prank war' thing on for too long, so I wasn't able to use them. The people who submitted other hilarious ideas include: **_**xxCottenCandyxx, LaTuACanTantE00mySinGer, xSugarxHighx**_**. If I forgot anybody, please tell me and I'll make sure to include you. Thank you once again for the fabulous ideas. I apologize for not being able to put them to good use.**

**Anyway, ****I'm no longer offering a quote for reviews****. ): I'm sorry guys, but I really don't have a quote to give you. I wish I did, but I don't. I hope you guys can find another reason to review (maybe such as just to make me happy? or maybe because it motivates me to update?). So I hope to hear from you guys! I want to know what you thought! **


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